In contemporary discourse, the pivotal role of visual and audiovisual media in historical discourse is universally acknowledged. Extensive scholarly investigations into visual history, spanning over a decade, within academic institutions across Poland, underline the pervasive influence of what Mitchell termed the “image turn” in shaping our contemporary reality and everyday life.
We are currently in a situation where historical discourse in the audiovisual space has reached an unprecedented level in terms of quantity. The advent of numerous streaming platforms has facilitated virtually boundless access to an extensive array of audiovisual content, spanning tens of thousands of hours and encompassing diverse depictions of historical narratives. In addition, video games are also an important area that fits into the perspective of visual history. Their quantity, quality and considerable impact on the recipients remains a fact that no one seems to argue with in the third decade of the 21st century. From a scholarly standpoint, it becomes imperative to undertake the task of systematically describing and categorizing this numerous corpus of research material.
In the forthcoming edition of "Images," we aim to elevate visual history as the primary theme. Within the realm of Polish academic discourse in historical studies, the works of Professor Dorota Skotarczak (Historia wizualna, Poznań 2012) and Professor Piotr Witek (Andrzej Wajda jako historyk. Metodologiczne studium historii wizualnej, Lublin 2016) have attained canonical status. Their contributions have not only delineated further research objectives but also facilitated the systematic organization of existing knowledge within the field of visual history.
In this volume, we endeavor for the insights articulated by these seminal scholars to serve as a guiding framework, akin to a research barometer. Simultaneously, we would like to encourage contributors to adopt a broader perspective in their contemplation of visual history. Thus, we propose a deliberate exploration of visual historical narratives manifested not only in cinema—both Polish and global—but also in another influential contemporary medium: video games.
We propose the incorporation of the following thematic areas:
- theoretical contemplation on the interplay between film, video games, and historical discourse, encompassing an examination of narrative techniques employed within scholarly discourse;
- exploration of the intersection between public history and visual history;
- analysis of screen representations depicting historical epochs in both Polish and global contexts;
- investigation into biographical films (biopics) and their portrayal in cinema and contemporary digital gaming;
- examination of depictions of wars and conflicts across various mediums, including feature films, documentaries, and video games;
- evaluation of dominant narrative strategies employed in historical series;
- scrutiny of the characteristics and significance of historical documentary filmmaking;
- consideration of the utilization of fiction and documentary films as source material for historical video games;
- study of animated historical film;
- examination of audiovisual methodologies employed in historical education initiatives on the Internet.
For any inquiries, please direct your questions to the following email addresses of the issue's editors: Piotr Kurpiewski, PhD (piotr.kurpiewski@ug.edu.pl) and Marcin Pigulak, PhD (marcin.pigulak@amu.edu.pl).
The deadline for article submissions is September 30, 2024. Articles should range between 20,000 to 40,000 characters in length, including spaces (this encompasses notes and bibliography but excludes metadata) and should not be under consideration by any other journal or publication.
While the journal offers basic proofreading, authors whose native language is not English are encouraged to have their articles proofread by a native English-speaking academic.
All submitted articles adhering to the editorial guidelines will undergo anonymous review by two reviewers.
„Images. The International Journal of European Film, Performing Arts and Audiovisual Communication” is a peer-reviewed scholarly journal published by Adam Mickiewicz University since 2003. The journal is indexed in the Scopus database and provides immediate, open access to its content. There are no publication fees.
Authors retain the rights to share and distribute their works under Creative Commons licensing. Further details can be found in the guidelines for authors available on the journal's website: https://pressto.amu.edu.pl/index.php/i.