Call for Papers: Cultures of Waste: Military and Corporate Complexes, Oxford Intersections

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Call for Papers: Cultures of Waste: Military and Corporate Complexes

The Military and Corporate Complexes section in the Oxford Intersections Cultures of Waste (a new and comprehensive digital anthology launched by Oxford University Press) is now accepting abstracts for research articles. Alex Souchen and Anne Berg have been appointed as section editors, and we are now inviting abstracts for new interdisciplinary research on the political, economic, social, environmental, and cultural significance of waste and warfare. 

Waste is not some inadvertent byproduct of war, but a central objective of its prosecution. Militaries lay waste to enemy landscapes, cities, and populations by any means necessary. From military preparedness and mobilization to combat and its legacies, warmaking and the industries involved transform geographies and ecosystems, social structures, political and economic systems, they destroy bodies, communities and environments; and generate a never-ending amount of waste, toxins, debris, and material remnants. We invite contributors to think broadly and capaciously about such topics. We are particularly interested in articles that pay attention to people and environments marginalized by extractive military and colonial regimes and the power dynamics between actors in the Global North and South who influence the movement of waste and the militarization of commodity chains.

We invite scholars from different career stages working on different geographies, nations, conflicts, time periods, and populations, including current events. 

Submission Guidelines:

  • Manuscripts should be original and not previously published or under consideration elsewhere.
  • If accepted, articles should be between 4,000-9,000 words, ranging from think pieces to research articles as well as alternative digital explorations. 
  • Each contribution will undergo rigorous peer-review.
  • To be considered, submit abstracts of no more than 300 words along with a current CV to asouchen@uoguelph.ca and anneberg@sas.upenn.edu 

Key Dates:

  • Abstract Submission Deadline: 30 April 2026
  • Notification of Acceptance: 30 May 2026
  • Final Manuscript Due: 31 October 2026

More about Oxford Intersections: Cultures of Waste

In 2025, Oxford University Press launched a new type of resource: Oxford Intersections. Oxford Intersections reflects the critical role that peer-reviewed interdisciplinary research plays in helping policy- and decision-makers tackle the world’s most complex and urgent environmental, cultural, political, and social challenges. Cultures of Waste is one of the topics in the series.

Feature Image: “Azaz, Syria” by Christiaan Triebert is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0.
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Alex Souchen

Alex Souchen is an Assistant Professor in the Department of History at the University of Guelph. He is the author of War Junk: Munitions Disposal and Postwar Reconstruction in Canada (UBC Press, 2020).

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