E-book call for contributions

Call for contributions: DFM E-book (DRAFT)

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.uml.idm.oclc.org. Use author-date format for citations, generated using Zotero.

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.

Proposed theme for the ebook and launch event: Sustainable gastronomy

The ebook will be formally released on 18 June, 2022 to coincide with global observance of Sustainable Gastronomy Day. Following the UN General Assembly's proclamation of Sustainable Gastronomy Day, we acknowledge that gastronomy is a cultural expression related to the natural and cultural diversity of the world and affirm 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 ebook 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.

Notes:

• "My Grandmother's Recipe": Photographically document a dried fish recipe that you personally know; discuss how it is made and reflect on it's 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.

If you have any questions about this call or in need of further clarifications, please get in touch with the editorial team at [[1]].

Notes to include in the call for contributions

• Provide background on why we are doing this - done
• The book will be technically edited by TBTI Global and released as part of their ebook series - done
• We would like to encourage co-authorship with collaborators - done
• Launch event: The book will be completed beforehand, but will be officially launched with presentations from speakers, virtual buffet, musical presentation, etc. - done?
• Volume 2 will be released on World Food Day 2022 (Oct 16).
• Technical requirements (image format resolution, etc.) - done
• even if published here, contributions can be reused for peer reviewed publication later - done
• style guide: Chicago Manual of Style, notes and bibliography. See DFM Guideline: Copyediting checklist (this will need to be updated as the checklist is currently for internal copy-editors, and some of the information is out of date) - done, still need to update the list?
• We especially encourage non-conventional and experimental formats, including: - done
  • photo essays, or an individual photograph with commentary
  • poetry and folk songs that mention dried fish
  • personal, reflexive essays (e.g., addressing the research and learning process)
  • fieldnotes, interview transcripts or vignettes
  • notes on an historical document or other primary source

Notes on thematic sections - added above

We seek stand-alone contributions from researchers / teams on following sections:

• "My Grandmother's Recipe": Photographically document a dried fish recipe that you personally know; discuss how it is made and reflect on it's importance in food traditions, what memories it evokes, your connection to it (as part of what we study as researchers), etc.
• Life stories: Share a transcript or extract from a field interview, prefaced with a paragraph or so contextualizing the interview and commenting on what we can learn from the contributor's experience.