Beyond and in the Margins of the Text and Textualities

Dear Colleagues,

The study of textuality has undergone significant transformations in recent years, inviting interdisciplinary approaches that move beyond traditional boundaries to make their contributions to the understanding of text and textuality. A key area in the study of discourse is textual analysis, particularly if we embrace the idea that one of the essential requirements for a text to be considered a text is its reliance on prior knowledge of other texts. Numerous specialists have explored and expanded our understanding of the phenomenon of textuality in the last decades. To engage with these recent developments, we propose this Special Issue titled “Beyond and in the Margins of the Text and Textualities”, which seeks to present innovative explorations of textual analysis, emphasizing the intersections of textuality with diverse disciplinary frameworks. Through this Special Issue, we aim to foster a deeper understanding of the evolving nature of textuality within the humanities by emphasizing its dynamic intersections with other disciplines, such as – but by no means limited to - architecture, engineering, technology, linguistics, and visual media. Our objective is to promote interdisciplinary collaborations that not only broaden the scope of text analysis but also offer fresh perspectives on long-established frameworks, pushing the boundaries of what textual studies can achieve. Furthermore, this initiative aspires to create an inclusive and innovative platform for both emerging and established scholars, allowing them to showcase their research that challenges conventional methodologies and enriches the broader field of humanities scholarship. By encouraging this dialogue, we hope to inspire a renewed engagement with textuality as a versatile and transformative lens through which to explore cultural, historical, and technological contexts. Hence, this collection aims to reveal the expansive potential of humanities scholarship by bridging methodologies and perspectives across fields.

Concept and Scope

This Special Issue seeks to reimagine textual studies by engaging with methodologies and concepts that arise at the confluence of distinct disciplines. By investigating the intersections of textuality with fields such as linguistics, technology, power dynamics, and performance, the contributors will push the boundaries of traditional text analysis. Thence, the issues that could be studied include, but are certainly not limited to:

1. How new and emerging linguistic frameworks enhance our understanding of poetic structure and interpretation.
2. The role of digital humanities in exploring textual materiality and multimodal narratives.
3. The interplay of literature and engineering, focusing on the technological dimensions of textuality.
4. The examination of marginalized voices within emergent literary genres or media.
5. Power dynamics in discourse and their implications for social and cultural structures.
6. The relationship between (para)texts and performance in theatre and drama.
7. Intersections of textuality and visual art, including graphic novels and multimedia texts.
8. Theoretical and practical approaches to analyzing hypertext and interactive narratives.
9. The ethical and political implications of textual representations in new media.
10. The influence of cultural and historical contexts on the evolution of textual forms and practices.

This conceptual framework aims to challenge canonical boundaries, encouraging contributors to examine texts from novel, multidisciplinary perspectives that open new pathways for scholarly inquiry. In this regard, this Special Issue will be curated by a diverse editorial team composed of scholars specializing in linguistics, literary studies, and the human and humanities dimension of architecture. This multidisciplinary team embodies the ethos of the project, ensuring a breadth of expertise and methodological rigor. Each Guest Editor contributes to the advancement of the Humanities from a distinct perspective, bringing unique insights that highlight the richness of interdisciplinary approaches. Furthermore, the team collectively embraces a transhumanistic point of view, approaching the Humanities as a dynamic and evolving field that bridges the human, technological, and cultural domains. The editors are committed to fostering an inclusive platform that supports innovative scholarship and a plurality of voices.

Through this Special Issue, we aim to:

1. Advance the discourse on the evolving nature of textuality in the humanities, highlighting its intersections with other disciplines.
2. Encourage interdisciplinary collaborations that expand the scope of text analysis and reinterpret established frameworks.
3. Provide a platform for emerging and established scholars to present pioneering research that challenges conventional approaches.

We hope that this collection will appeal to a broad academic audience in the humanities and related fields, stimulating cross-disciplinary dialogue and inspiring new directions in textual studies. We are enthusiastic about the opportunity to develop this Special Issue and are confident it will make a meaningful contribution to the field.  The Guest Editors welcome the submission of tentative abstracts in advance of the complete manuscript submission, providing an opportunity for early feedback and alignment with the goals of the Special Issue.

Dr. Manuel Macías-Borrego
Dr. Carmen Gómez-Galisteo
Dr. Manuel Iglesias-Vázquez
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Humanities is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• textuality
• interdisciplinary studies
• applied humanities
• multimodal narratives
• transhumanism
• transmediality
• transtextuality
• translinguistics