Call for Proposals @ Journal of Social Issues

Open Call for Proposals: A Critical Race Theory Approach to the Psychological Study of Social Issues

Editors: Courtney Bonam, Alaina Brenick, Andrea Miller, Roxanne Moadel-Attie, Phia Salter

Aims of the Special issue

Critical Race Theory (CRT) first emerged in American legal studies in the late 1980s as a racial lens through which to interrogate social and legal institutions (Crenshaw, Gotanda, Peller, & Thomas, 1995; see also Crenshaw, 2011). It has long since reached other disciplines, including psychology (e.g., Jones, 1998) with a specific emphasis on core tenets for analyzing human thought, behavior, and social systems (see Salter & Adams, 2013). The aim of this special issue is to draw on strong theoretical and research foundations to (re)introduce psychological researchers to CRT, to underscore its importance and limitations in the context of psychology research, to feature novel applications and new directions in CRT, and to address the current political climate in which there is opposition to discussions of CRT. This special issue will also challenge psychological researchers to take up the charge in Salter and Adams (2013) to use CRT as "a conceptual lens through which to analyze all of psychological science."

Proposal topics might include:

• New empirical studies that draw on CRT, including those that apply CRT in new content areas or apply CRT in new ways. We’d especially be interested in receiving empirical studies on support for and opposition to CRT in current political discourse.
• How research methods in psychology can be informed by CRT (e.g., established and novel qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-methodological approaches to using CRT as a lens in psychological research, as well as novel measurement approaches and measures that draw on CRT). 
• The history of CRT and its importance for research in psychology (e.g., reviews of the literature over the past (almost) 25 years, representation of CRT in various subfields of psychological research, when and how CRT has been applied in policy and practice based on psychological research, and synergistic connections with and/or distinctions from other critical theories in psychology). 
• Theoretical papers that highlight tensions and advancements in CRT-informed scholarship across disciplines (e.g., how a CRT lens can inform best practices for conducting psychological research, conversations around philosophy of science, critical perspectives on science as objective, and how a CRT lens can inform the way we publish and disseminate our findings).
• Policy papers that focus on reforms, interventions, and applications that draw on CRT scholarship. 

We welcome a broad range of empirical methods, including but not limited to ethnography, autoethnography, counter-storytelling, community-based participatory action research, experimentation, survey research, and more.

Collectively, articles in the special issue will serve as a catalyst to stimulate further theorizing, research, interventions, and policy reform toward racial equity. 

Interested contributors should submit a proposal that contains the following: 

• Title
• Names, affiliations, and contact information for all authors
• Estimated length or word count of proposed final manuscript
• Current status of the work and estimated timeline for completion of manuscript
• Detailed abstract of 3-4 double-spaced pages (conforming to 7th Edition, APA Style Guidelines)
  • For empirical reports, the abstract should include descriptions of the sample, methodology, and primary results. 
  • Authors reporting qualitative research should consider COREQ or SRQR guidelines. 
  • For review articles, the abstract should include a discussion of criteria for inclusion and primary conclusions.
  • All abstracts should describe the theoretical underpinnings of the work and implications for institutional policy or action. 
• Short biographies of the authors (limited to half a page per author). 

Proposals are due June 15, 2022 and should be emailed to Andrea Miller (amiller0@illinois.edu) with subject line “JSI CRT Abstract Submission”. 

Submitted abstracts will be screened for acceptance by the Issue Editors. Issue Editors and the JSI editorial board will provide feedback on accepted abstracts to support development of manuscripts (for more information on the editorial review process, see https://spssi.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/hub/journal/15404560/about/issue-editor-guidelines).

We anticipate making preliminary selection decisions about abstracts and submitting the Formal Proposal to the JSI editorial board by July 15, 2022; authors will be notified of the tentative status of their proposals at this time. Final invitations for full manuscripts will be issued by late September, and full-length manuscripts will be due no later than December 1, 2022. Manuscripts submitted after this date may not be eligible for inclusion in the issue. All manuscripts will undergo a rigorous review process. Thus, an invitation to submit a manuscript does not guarantee inclusion in the special issue. Approximately 10 to 15 papers will be selected for the final issue.

Crenshaw, K. W. (2011). Twenty years of critical race theory: Looking back to move forward. Connecticut  Law Review, 43, 1253-1352.

Crenshaw, K. W., Gotanda, N., Peller, G., & Thomas, K. (Eds.). (1995). Critical race theory: The key writings that formed the movement. New York, NY: The New Press.

Jones, J. M. (1998). Psychological knowledge and the new American dilemma of race. Journal of Social Issues, 54(4), 641-662.

Salter, P., & Adams, G. (2013). Toward a Critical Race Psychology. Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 7(11), 781–793. https://doi-org.oca.ucsc.edu/10.1111/spc3.12068