Athens, Ga. – The University of Georgia Press is establishing a new book series, which will examine the experiences of children within the contexts of war. “Children, Youth and War” will intersect with the latest historiography on race, ethnicity, gender and other methodological approaches appropriate to the time and place. The series is global in scope and broad in historical frame, including conflicts as recent as the intifada in the Middle East, the Afghan wars and civil wars in Africa.
“‘Children, Youth, and War’ will explore the effects of armed conflict on the lives of children and youth in all places and eras,” said series editor James Marten of Marquette University. “Authors will capture the tragedy of children and youth as victims of war, the irony of the increasing idealization of childhood colliding with children’s increasing vulnerability to war, and the agency of children and youth who chose to embrace the causes for which their countries fought.”
The series will feature comparative and interdisciplinary approaches, but books on specific communities experiencing a single war will also be considered. Authors may also use non-historical methodologies, such as literary criticism or psychological interpretations. Yet all books will be shaped by a historical sensibility and all books will help readers understand the lived experiences of historical children and youth.
The series aims to broaden understanding of the experiences and points of view of children and youth during wartime as actors, victims and observers, as well as the effects of armed conflict on the nations, communities, and families in which those young people live. It will also provide historic contexts for such urgent contemporary topics as war refugees, under-age soldiers, and the politicization of childhood, among many others.
“Children and youth provide such a vivid, sometimes visceral perspective on the human condition, especially in wartime,” said Mick Gusinde-Duffy, UGA Press editor-in-chief. “This series’ openness to inter-disciplinary work and its global reach are very exciting for the press. I’m looking forward to working with Jim Marten as we seek the best new work for this groundbreaking series.”
UGA Press
Since its founding in 1938, the primary mission of the University of Georgia Press has been to support and enhance the university’s place as a major research institution by publishing outstanding works of scholarship and literature by scholars and writers throughout the world. The UGA Press is the oldest and largest book publisher in the state, currently publishes 60-70 new books a year, and has a long history of publishing significant scholarship, creative and literary works, and books about the state and the region for general readers. To learn more about the University of Georgia Press and its publications, authors and events, see www.ugapress.org.