Colleagues may be interested in the new journal, Modern Intellectual
History, and the editors' call (see below) for contributions.
Lesley Sharpe
Dear Colleague:
We write to inform you of an important development in your field,
and to ask for your help in sustaining it.
Cambridge University Press has launched a new journal, Modern
Intellectual History.
The first three issues of MIH appeared in April, August, and November,
2004 (a free copy is available through the CUP journals website at
www.journals.cambridge.org/jid_MIH); the fourth issue will appear in
April, 2005. MIH defines "modern" to encompass the entire period from
the early Enlightenment (ca. 1650) to the present, and covers North
America, Europe (including Russia), the trans-Atlantic world, and
western/non-western intellectual and cultural exchanges. Our purpose is
to serve as a meeting ground and a mediator for hermeneutically minded
scholars with an historical orientation.
As MIH enters its second year, we write to assure you that our
agenda includes a strong commitment to publishing original work in
literature, aesthetics, and related areas in philosophy. To be suitable
for MIH, of course, such work must demonstrate historical modes of
understanding; but we are aware that historical understanding can take
many forms We also want to emphasize that, in addition to being
international in our coverage of subjects, we are committed to
providing a forum for an international community of scholars. We are
well aware that the UK has a large and varied group of scholars doing
historically oriented work in literature and philosophy, and we are
eager to establish contact with them.
Hence this letter, which is meant to make you aware of our
agenda and to invite you to participate in the journal. Roughly half
the space in each issue of MIH is devoted to research articles of
roughly 12,000 words (including notes) that have been accepted and
revised in a peer review process. Our policy is to ask three outside
readers to submit their reports on a submission within six weeks of
receiving it. On the basis of the readers' reports and our own
judgments, we give authors clear guidance about revisions (which, we
have learned, they very much appreciate). We would be very pleased to
consider any work you would like to submit that falls within our
boundaries described above. If you have colleagues who might have work
suitable for MIH, we would appreciate your passing the relevant
information on to them
The other half of each issue is devoted to Essays of 5,000 to
7,000 words, which are commissioned and reviewed by the editors. The
essays will play a key role in giving the journal its profile, and in
providing material of interest to the many constituencies in its
readership. We think the essays in the first three issues demonstrate
this role very well. Over the past year or so we have come to realize
the need for considerable flexibility in the Essays category - to
insure that we give good scholars the opportunity to publish good and
timely work in a variety of forms. These are some of the subgenres we
have in mind:
1. The review essay - We will not publish short reviews of
individual books. A review essay should focus on a small cluster of
books, usually two to four (though in exceptional cases we will devote
an entire essay to one book) that are related topically. At least one
of the books should be a newly published work, and the others should
have appeared in the last five or six years. The point is to use an
assessment of the books to develop a coherent theme and, where
appropriate, to comment on issues of theory and method.
2. The "Why X?" essay - We have in mind an essay that explains
why a certain figure in intellectual history is receiving renewed
attention (perhaps even being rediscovered), or is being reevaluated.
Since the journal covers the period from 1650 to the present on both
sides of the Atlantic, there are many possibilities. We have a few
figures in mind, but would very much welcome suggestions from you.
3. The retrospective - The subject here might be described as the
career of a classic
in the field. Why did it attain classic status? How has it fared
in the light of more
recent work?
The key points are that the essay should be relatively brief
(5000-7000 words); that it should not be a bibliographical survey (and
hence that footnotes be kept to a minimum); and that it should be of
interest to all or part of our readership. If you have an idea for an
essay, please send one of us a proposal. And, of course, we welcome
your advice about topics and about possible authors among your
colleagues.
Launching a new journal is an imposing task, and the current
economic climate makes this project all the more challenging. If MIH is
to be successful, both personal and institutional subscriptions are
essential - and the latter are particularly important. Many libraries
now have a "no new journals" policy, and make exceptions only when
special requests are submitted. Hence we ask you to do whatever you can
to insure that your institution subscribes to MIH (which is, we think
you will agree, very reasonably priced), and to encourage colleagues at
other institutions to do the same.
We look forward to hearing from you.
Best Wishes,
The Co-Editors
Charles Capper (Boston University)
Anthony J. La Vopa (North Carolina
State University)
Nicholas Phillipson (University of
Edinburgh)
----------------------
Professor Lesley Sharpe
Department of German
University of Exeter
Queen's Building
Queen's Drive
Exeter EX4 4QH
Tel:01392 264334
