E-book call for contributions

Building on the success of the three Dried Fish Matters roundtables at the MARE 2021 "People and the Sea" Conference, we are preparing a DFM e-book that will explore the socio-cultural value of dried fish, for publication in Spring 2022. Late submissions of proposals will be accommodated as possible.

Please see the details of the call below. In the first stage, we invited everyone to submit a synopsis/abstract of 100-200 words by September 15, 2021. Final submissions will be due on January 15, 2022.

See below for submission instructions.

Call for contributions

We are looking for several types of stand-alone contributions (anywhere from 500 to 5000 words) that explore the socio-cultural value of dried fish, especially from the transdisciplinary perspective. Contributions should be “exploratory”, in the sense that they may describe preliminary results, reflect on the research process, invite readers to contemplate, base on field notes or raw data, or convey the original works of research participants and collaborators. They can be written by individuals or a team of researchers, community partners, or dried fish actors themselves. Contributions should try to be creative and convey enthusiasm for interesting findings or observations, instead of presenting rigorous findings. In other words, non-conventional and experimental formats are encouraged.

Thematic sections and example contributions could include, but not limited to:

1. Long essays: preliminary findings from the field, personal reflections on the research and learning process, experimental ideas around emerging empirical and theoretical understandings (about 4,000-5,000 words)
2. Short pieces: Poetry, folk songs, dried fish recipes (see note below on "My Grandmother's Recipe") (500-1,000 words)
3. Life stories: photo essays, vignettes, interview transcripts, excerpts from field notes (see note below) (500-1,000 words)
4. Comparative insights on themes that connect across two or more DFM countries (about 4,000-5,000 words)

Submission timelines

In the first stage, please submit a synopsis/abstract of 100-200 words, by September 15, 2021. Final submissions will be due on January 15, 2022.

Technical requirements and editorial process

Each contribution should be accompanied by at least one high-resolution photograph or an illustration.

The document style should conform to the Chicago Manual of Style, 17th edition: https://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide.html. Use author-date format for citations, generated using Zotero. Documents should be submitted in MS-Word (docx) format with embedded Zotero citations.

Individual or co-authored contributions, including with research partners beyond academia, are welcomed. There will be a minor review process and a grouping of submissions into thematic sections once they are received. The contributions will be compiled, edited and published as part of the TBTI E-book series, and can be reused later for peer-reviewed publications.

Special sections

Members of our editorial team have proposed to curate special sections within the e-book, which will include materials submitted by colleagues from across the DFM network. Contributions are requested for the following proposed sections.

"My Grandmother's Recipe"

Photographically document a dried fish recipe that you personally know; discuss how it is made and reflect on its importance in food traditions, what memories it evokes, your connection to it (as part of what we study as researchers), etc.

Interview transcripts and excerpts from field notes

Preface your story with a paragraph or so contextualizing the interview/field notes and commenting on what we can learn from the contributor's experience.

Launch event: Sustainable Gastronomy Day 2022

The e-book will be formally released on 18 June, 2022 to coincide with global observance of Sustainable Gastronomy Day.

In its proclamation of Sustainable Gastronomy Day, the UN General Assembly acknowledges that gastronomy is a cultural expression related to the natural and cultural diversity of the world and affirms its vital contribution to agricultural development, food security, nutrition, sustainable food production and the conservation of biodiversity.

Building on our commitment to furthering research into the "social economy" of dried fish in South and Southeast Asia, we intend this e-book to celebrate the role of dried fish as one that is deeply "gastronomical" – in the sense of being embedded in cultural life and foodways – but also as vitally linked to sustainable development. We reaffirm the integrative and people-centred vision of sustainability captured by the 17 SDGs, encompassing economic, social, and environmental pillars.

Contact

If you have any questions about this call or in need of further clarifications, please contact the editorial team via Eric Thrift.

Submit an abstract

Enter the title of your proposed contribution in the box below, then press the "continue" button to open a page where you can create a draft synopsis/abstract. You will need to be logged in to the DFM wiki platform to create or edit your proposal.