TRACE publishes online peer-reviewed collections in ecology, posthumanism, and media studies. Providing an interdisciplinary forum for scholars, TRACE focuses on the ethical and material impact of technology and welcomes submissions in a variety of media that engage cultures, theories, and environments to “trace” the connections across and within various ecologies.
Is it enough to make for making’s sake? How do we attend to the longer history of makers and makerspaces? This issue offers a critical forum to discuss how technology changes the way we make theoretically and practically.
“How We Make” builds off the scholarship of Scholars Matt Ratto, Victor Papanek, and David Gauntlett, on the ‘how,’ ‘why,’ or ‘what’ of making. Following these ideas, TRACE invites submissions that critically reflect on the making process in their communities, makerspaces, and classrooms in order to reveal new insight into the maker movement.
1) Theory – The theoretical section asks scholars to be critical of making, investigating process, history, ecology, and trends. Potential projects may explore how theories of making engage or neglect race/class/gender/accessibility issues, how making is beneficial to society and could empower traditionally oppressed social groups, how the nonhuman participates in making, or how making challenges traditional consumer/producer models or privileges specific skills.
2) Praxis – The practical section calls for maker submissions detailing approaches to making and the results/impacts. Potential projects may discuss issues of accessibility, learning by doing, spaces (virtual or actual) of collaboration, best practice for amateurs learning DIY electronics, funding scholarly making, the use of maker labs, or making as serious scholarship.
3) Pedagogy – The pedagogical section calls for educational submissions detailing making in the classroom. Potential projects may cover connections between ‘making’ and education or invention, low-tech making in the classroom, definitions of making for education, pedagogical implications when asking students to think of writing/composing as making, or reflections on course outcomes including syllabus and course assignments.
Multimedia submissions are accepted and encouraged. Completed articles will be peer-reviewed and should be between 3000-6000 words in length.
If you are interested in contributing, please send your finalized project to trace@english.ufl.edu by February 1, 2017.
*find full Call for Papers here*
Direct questions to the Issue co-editors: Emily Brooks emily081390@ufl.edu and Shannon Butts shannon.butts@ufl.edu
For information about style guides, peer-review, or if you would like to participate in the review process, email trace@english.ufl.edu