Zeithistorische Forschungen/Studies in Contemporary History is a journal featuring new research, current debates and methodological questions concerning contemporary German, European and global history. It is published by the Leibniz Centre for Contemporary History Potsdam (ZZF, https://zzf-potsdam.de/en) and appears three times a year in two parallel publication forms: in print by the publishing house Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht (https://www.vandenhoeck-ruprecht-verlage.com/zf) and open access on the Internet (https://zeithistorische-forschungen.de, CC BY-SA 4.0). The online edition format permits good distribution as well as the employment of special visual and audiovisual elements.
For volume 22 (2025) we plan to include two special issues, featuring themes that fit or complement the profile of the journal. For this purpose, the editors have issued a call for meaningful proposals. The thematic range is open. A clear focus on recent contemporary history since 1945 is as welcome as a theme that encompasses the entire 20th and beginning 21st century. An overview of our previous issues can be found at https://zeithistorische-forschungen.de/archiv.
The main criteria for the selection of proposals are:
– Originality of research and innovative approach
– Possible interest to audiences beyond academia
– Quality of the proposed individual contributions and coherence of overall content
– Potential for integration of (audio)visual elements on the website
– Experience and skills of potential editors and authors
In addition to four to five longer articles of about 60,000 characters each (including spaces and footnotes), several shorter texts of different genres can be published in each issue – essays, contributions to ongoing debates, interviews, source criticisms as well as contributions to the rubric ‘Literature Revisited’, ‘Recordings Revisited’ and/or ‘Film & TV Revisited’. For these categories, see the previous contributions at https://zeithistorische-forschungen.de/rubrikenregister and the information for authors at https://zeithistorische-forschungen.de/beitragen. The proposals should not only contain ideas for longer articles, but indicate how the various rubrics can be addressed creatively. Contributions are possible in German and English. International perspectives and authors are very welcome.
We are happy to receive proposals from editorial teams (two to four people each). In addition to the introduction, the editors may be represented in the issue with their own contributions.
Your exposé should be structured as follows:
– Names and institutions of the editors,
– Concise working title for the special issue (without a subtitle),
– Statement explaining the guiding research questions and relationship to relevant existing debates (approx. 2-3 pp.),
– List and short summaries of the planned individual contributions (together approx. 5 pp.),
– Preliminary table of contents of the proposed issue (altogether approx. 160-180 pp.).
Please send your exposé (8-10 pp., in ONE Word file) by 15 May 2023 to
Jan-Holger Kirsch, e-mail: kirsch@zzf-potsdam.de. We are looking forward to your proposals. The editorial staff is also available for questions at the above address.
The editors and the advisory board of Zeithistorische Forschungen/Studies in Contemporary History will discuss the proposals in June 2023, after which all applicants will be informed immediately. Successful applicants will have to submit a draft version of all contributions by 15 June or 15 October 2024 at the latest (issue 1/2025 or issue 2/2025).