Socio-Political Issues in Cultural Texts

2026-04-27

We invite to submit articles for a special issue of “Critical Studies”, edited by Piotr Obacz, Tomasz Rosowski, and Marcel Wurszt, devoted to the thematic focus: “Socio-Political Issues in Cultural Texts.” Submitted articles should focus on the identification, analysis, and interpretation of the presence of socio-political issues in cultural texts, including (but not limited to) those from the fields of film, literature, music, visual and digital arts, performance, and others.

Culture is a dynamic and living phenomenon—it does not stand still. Within its ever-fluid and continuously redefined frameworks, shaped by the creativity of those who produce it, new themes, trends, concepts, and modes of artistic expression constantly emerge. Culture may constitute a response to current social, economic, political, international, local, and global challenges; it may raise questions about the future; it may be engaged, reflect the social sensitivity of its creators, express political opinions, socio-political criticism, and reformative agendas. It may manifest itself as a call or a whisper, a cry or a calm statement of those who aim to inspire and/or compel reflection on reality. At the same time, creators of culture may also remain passive and subordinated; they may stay silent and disengaged from matters in which they nonetheless participate as social actors; they may also create “art for art’s sake,” which, although valuable, avoids confronting what is problematic in society, politics, the state, and in human existence itself.

            Politics and social issues have for centuries—both historically and in contemporary times—served as important points of reference for culture and the arts. They constitute themes that shape directions in film, music, literature, theatre, painting, sculpture, photography, performance, digital art, and beyond. It is therefore undoubtedly worthwhile to examine cultural texts in terms of identifying political elements within them, references to politics, social problems, and political challenges. Equally important is the search for diverse forms of reasoning and modes of expression that engage with socio-political reality. Cultural texts function as specific chronicles of socio-political life, documenting processes, trends, problems, and challenges. As such, they call for analysis and interpretation also from the perspective of political science—particularly within the humanistic political science paradigm, which places the human being at the center of its inquiry, situated in their social and political context.

            We envisage contributions that reflect the multiplicity and heterogeneity of cultural and artistic forms of expression, and that are devoted to the identification, analysis, and interpretation of socio-political issues in cultural texts from the domains of film, literature, music, visual and digital arts, performance, and others. The aim is to capture and demonstrate the diversity of manifestations of politicality and references to socio-political issues within cultural and artistic production.

            Authors may draw on the achievements of any academic discipline, any research approach, theory, or methodology. Articles may also result from inter- and transdisciplinary research, combining, in various configurations, for example political studies, critical literary studies, cultural studies, sociology, psychology, studies in intellectual history, political thought, and others.

            In addition to the main theme of the special issue of “Critical Studies”, papers addressing the following topics (among others) would be particularly welcome:

• the political nature of culture and art;
• the cultural creator and politics;
• the politicization of culture and art—its advantages and disadvantages;
• typologies of cultural texts addressing political and social issues;
• engaged art and political art—demarcation lines, distinguishing features, boundaries, and aims;
• ideological perspectives and cultural/artistic production;
• the creator as observer, commentator, social/political activist, innovator, reformer, moralist, intellectual, ideologue;
• the role and place of “political” cultural texts in society;
• the transformational potential and function of culture and art;
• power, socio-political relations, polarization, community, values, democracy, international relations, politicians, government, the state, violence, law, and socio-political attitudes in cultural texts addressing political and social issues;
• and many others.

The publication of the issue is planned for late 2026.

Submission deadline: 15 August 2026. Submissions may be prepared in either Polish or English.

Manuscripts should be submitted via the journal’s online submission system: https://czasopisma.uni.opole.pl/index.php/sk/user/register

Guidelines for Authors: https://czasopisma.uni.opole.pl/index.php/sk/about/submissions