We invite applications for the next editor or editors of Cultural Anthropology, the peer-reviewed, diamond open access journal of the Society for Cultural Anthropology (SCA).
Cultural Anthropology, currently in its thirty-ninth volume, is a quarterly academic journal published by the SCA, one of the largest membership sections of the American Anthropological Association (AAA). Since its founding in 1986, the journal has represented the cutting-edge of anthropological theory and ethnographic inquiry. In 2014, CA became the first open access journal in AAA’s portfolio. As a collective project, the journal’s ethos remains resolutely plural and conceptually open, accommodating a diverse range of subjects, styles, and theoretical perspectives. The editor(s) of Cultural Anthropology are responsible not only for editorial direction, but also for the ongoing operations and future of the journal as an evolving publishing experiment. If interested, please see the extended call below.
We also invite all members of our community to think with us as we continue to co-create our shared publishing venues in reflection and support of our community. If you would like to submit a comment or question you would like posed to potential candidates during this process, please use this form.
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The SCA strongly encourages applications to engage with ongoing priorities and commitments of the society and journal, as well as propose new directions and initiatives based on the experience, perspective, or resources of the applying candidates. We encourage proposals that would share a commitment to the following:
[1] Open access is central to the journal’s history and work going forward. As a diamond open access journal, we have been able to establish a reputation and access sustainable funding among values-aligned partners (through the OACIP program), shift to Creative Commons licensing to ensure authors’ work remains in their hands, and to continue to work toward ensuring equitable access
[2] Increasing the internationalization of the journal in readership and authorship. Previous initiatives include expanding the editorial leadership to a geographically dispersed collective of seven editors, focusing on expanding and diversifying the reviewer pool, and establishing a workflow for Spanish language submissions.
[3] Ongoing experimentation with new forms of published work. Previous experiments include multimodal work, ethnographic fiction, and collaborations with other nascent disciplines.
[4] Supporting the journal as a service to the SCA community. Including a commitment to providing the review process and engaged editorial feedback to a significant proportion of submitted papers, hosting publishing workshops as professional development, etc.
[5] Engaging critically with the current ecology of scholarly communication as it is today, and how it could best be reimagined to reflect the values and commitments of our community. Including attention to systemic barriers to entry, the ongoing crisis of peer review, and opportunities to reestablish scholarly autonomy in an increasingly extractive for-profit industry.
While we encourage proposals to think expansively, committing to the editorship of a journal is an immense undertaking of time and resources in itself. We particularly encourage proposals for multi-institutional collaborations that would enable cost-sharing associated with journal management.
Commitment
Incoming CA editorial leadership will commit to a five-year term, beginning with reviewing manuscripts as of January 1, 2026, and will be responsible for four volumes, or sixteen issues, of the journal (2027–2030). Journal work is supported by a full-time managing editor, who handles day-to-day management and production of the journal.
CA’s editorial leadership contributes to the SCA’s website through the Editors’ Forum series, which are flexible in structure and counterbalance the journal’s work with short-form essays responsive to contemporary issues and crises in a more timely manner than traditional academic publishing.
CA’s editorial leadership are also members of the SCA’s board, collaborating with SCA leadership, the Digital Curatorial Collective, and the Contributing Editor program to contribute to the SCA’s priorities and initiatives such as graduate student mentorship and professional development for members.
Timeline and Application Process
Interested candidates are encouraged to discuss their application with the current editorial collective of Matilde Córdoba Azcárate, Alberto Corsín Jiménez, Julia Elyachar, Joanne Nucho, AbdouMaliq Simone, and Ather Zia, as well as members of the editorial search committee (including previous SCA and journal leadership): Anne Allison ([email protected]), Gökçe Günel, Eleana Kim, Chris Nelson, and Brad Weiss.
Both groups will make themselves available from November 18 – January 20 for preliminary conversations. You are also welcome to send a brief note of interest or any preliminary questions about the call through this form to initiate contact with the current editorial collective and search committee.
Following initial statements of interest (expected by January 20, 2024), we will make available additional information regarding the budget and funding structure of the journal, and encourage ongoing conversations with both the current editorial collective and search committee.
Complete applications (due February 20, 2025) should include:
a letter of application outlining the candidate or candidates’ editorial experience and vision, as well as experience working on or leading projects with multiple personnel
a CV (or CVs) addressing publication, editorial, and administrative experience
the names of three references who can address the candidate’s or candidates’ suitability for the position
a preliminary commitment of material support from the candidate’s or candidates’ institution(s), such as course releases
The search committee will deliberate and make their final decision in early March 2025 so that the incoming editorial leadership will have the remainder of the spring semester to finalize arrangements with their institution.