Teaching Social Justice in the World Literature Classroom

An edited collection on the theory and practice of teaching world literary texts with a focus on social justice

Editors: Dr. Muhammad Manzur Alam and Dr. Tanja Stampfl (University of the Incarnate Word)

Contact Emails: malam@uiwtx.edu; stampfl@uiwtx.edu

Important Dates:

· Deadline for Abstract Submission: May 31st, 2025

· Notification of Acceptance: June 15th, 2025

· Submission deadline for the full articles and case studies: January 10th, 2026

Overview:

The study of language and literature has long been approached through a social justice lens, particularly in fields such as Post-Colonial Studies, Feminism, and Ecocriticism. Similarly, in the extensive body of work concerning the teaching of literature, much emphasis is placed on literary analysis and the abstract identification of social justice themes. We propose that by combining literature's ability to raise social awareness with pedagogical strategies, we can develop innovative methods to facilitate meaningful discussions on social justice that impact students.

This book seeks to generate conversations that explore the intersection between teaching world literature and social justice issues as they arise in the 21st century, promoting an inclusive representation of diverse voices and perspectives, thereby examining how teaching these texts can facilitate actual social change. In short, we aim to re-envision the teaching of literature, specifically world literature, by posing a model of value-infused, student-centered instruction.

This collection will feature theoretical contributions providing frameworks and pedagogical philosophies for teaching social justice through world literature, complemented by practical essays detailing the implementation of these frameworks and philosophies.

Proposal Submission Guidelines and Process:

Please submit your 500-word abstract for either a theoretical or practical approach and a 100-word biographical sketch biographical sketch by clicking the SUBMIT button.

Your abstract must include a title, a description of impact on students, and one or two keywords about the main social justice focus.

Deadline for submitting your proposal: May 31st, 2025

Notification of acceptance: June 15th, 2025

Submission deadline for the full-length article: January 10th, 2026

500-word abstracts will propose one of the following:

Theoretical approaches (4000 – 6000 words, including bibliography):

· Role of social justice in academia and the Humanities, specifically in the world literature classroom

· (Re)defining world literature through teaching and promoting the values of social justice

· Teaching world literature in the current political, educational, or digital environment

· Connection between the teaching of social justice and the way students identify in terms of race, class, and gender

· Teaching indigenous and marginalized voices in promoting local and global social justice models

· Trauma-informed pedagogies to address mental health issues and foster resistance to repressive discourses through the teaching of world literature

· Decolonizing the literature curriculum and literary forms/genres

· Interdisciplinary approaches to integrate global literary texts in the teaching of social justice

Practical approaches (2000-3000 words, including bibliography):

· Innovative approaches to teaching world literature that emphasize applied and experiential learning

· Evaluating the effectiveness of teaching social justice through world literary texts

· Using technological and digital tools to teach social justice in the world literature classroom

· Inclusive approaches to teaching that show meaningful outcomes for diverse groups of students

· Examples of effective community engagement or university-community partnerships through the world literature classroom

· Examples of empowering students through student-centered approaches in teaching

· Practicing the decolonizing of the literature curriculum and literary forms/ genres

· Cross-disciplinary collaborations in the teaching of world literature