“a multidisciplinary, peer-reviewed, biannual academic journal publishing original scholarship on the theory and practice of dialogue”

Aim and Scope

The Journal of Dialogue Studies (hereafter ‘the Journal’ or ‘JDS’) is a multidisciplinary, peer-reviewed academic journal published twice a year. Its aim is to study the theory and practice of dialogue, understood provisionally as: a meaningful interaction and exchange between individuals and/or people of different groups (social, cultural, political and religious) who come together through various kinds of conversations or activities with a view to increased understanding. Some scholars will want to question that description of dialogue, and others may be sceptical of the effectiveness of dialogue as a mechanism to produce increased understanding. The Editors of course welcome vigorous discussion and debate on these and other fundamental questions.

The Journal will bring together a body of original scholarship on the theory and practice of dialogue that can be critically appraised and debated. It will publish conceptual, research, and/or case-based works on both theory and practice, and papers that discuss wider social, cultural or political issues as these relate to the evaluation of dialogue. In this way, the Journal aims to contribute towards establishing ‘dialogue studies’ as a distinct academic field (or perhaps even emerging discipline). Doing so will be directly useful not only to scholars and students but also to professionals and practitioners working in different contexts at various cultural interfaces.

The Journal is a publication of the Dialogue Society which has been promoting the concept of ‘dialogue studies’ since its inception by putting forward the notion of dialogue as a form of activity in and of itself while also supporting its development as a distinct field through specific projects like the Masters in Dialogue Studies and its forthcoming Dialogue Theories book (2013).

Method

A concern with the theory or practice of dialogue should be in the foreground of papers that are submitted, but the Editors do not have any preference as regards the general disciplinary background of the work. Indeed contributions will be welcome from a variety of disciplines which may, for example, include sociology, anthropology, cultural studies, linguistics, the study of religion, politics, international relations or law.