Words & Silences | Palabras & Silencios
The Editorial Team of Words & Silences | Palabras & Silencios is pleased to invite submissions for articles and reviews in our upcoming 2026 edition.
Published by the International Oral History Association (IOHA), the journal is a peer-reviewed, open-access digital publication, freely available online, that welcomes contributions from all individuals engaged in oral history, whether in academia, community-based projects, creative practices, or activist contexts.
For this edition, we are accepting submissions in three sections:
1. Special Topic: (Re)Thinking Oral History
The section draws from the theme of the 23rd International Oral History Association Conference, (Re)Thinking Oral History, held in Krakow, Poland, in 2025, and extends its concerns into the pages of the journal. It invites articles that take a critical look at how oral history defines its aims, responsibilities, and modes of practice in the present.
In a world shaped by democratic tensions, geopolitical conflicts, climate change, deepening inequalities, wars, and mass displacement, we are interested in how oral history is being reworked in response to these conditions, and in how its ethical, methodological, political, and public commitments are being rethought.
We welcome theoretically informed, empirically grounded, and practice-based contributions that engage with issues such as neutrality and involvement, technological change (including AI), documenting moments of crisis, care and healing, marginalized voices, environmental concerns, community archives, global asymmetries in knowledge production, multilingualism, and new ways of circulating oral history—asking, ultimately, what kinds of stories are we producing, and for whom, now and in the years ahead.
Deadline for submissions: May 30, 2026
2. Articles and Essays
This open section reflects the broad, plural spirit of the International Oral History Association and its commitment to dialogue among oral historians working in different contexts around the world.
We invite both research articles and reflective essays on a wide range of themes related to oral history, including theory, methodology, ethics, archives, memory, public history, artistic practices, and community-based work. Contributions should offer original perspectives on oral history’s practices, debates, and futures across regions, languages, and traditions.
Deadline for submissions: June 30, 2026
3. Reviews
We are looking for reviews of diverse products and mediums, created no earlier than 2023, that focus on oral history or critically reflect on its challenges, methodologies, and practices, including but not limited to: books, electronic media, exhibitions, podcasts, films, events, festivals, conferences, archives, and collections.
Reviews should go beyond summary, having oral history as a central focus and offering critical insight into the contribution, reach and significance of the work for oral history and related fields.
Deadline for submissions: June 30, 2026
Submission Guidelines
- Length: 2,500–6,000 words (Special Topic and Articles and Essays) and 1,000–1,500 words (Reviews).
- Format: Double-spaced throughout (except footnotes), Times New Roman, size 12pt.
- Style: Chicago Manual of Style, including footnotes (not endnotes) and a complete References or Works Cited section at the end.
- Articles and essays should include an abstract (150–200 words) and 3–5 keywords. Reviews do not require an abstract.
- Language: Submissions may preferably be made in English and/or Spanish. Submissions in other languages are possible; however, upon acceptance, authors will be asked to provide a final revised version in English and/or Spanish. Authors are encouraged to submit the final version in more than one language to support IOHA’s multilingual tradition.
Submission Instructions
- Submissions should be sent as a Word document (.doc or .docx) to iohajournal@gmail.com
- Please indicate in the subject line the section for which the submission is intended (Special Topic, Articles and Essays, or Reviews).
- Manuscripts should be anonymized for peer review, with any identifying information removed from the text and file properties. A separate title page should include the author’s name(s), institutional affiliation (if any), a brief biographical note, and contact information.
For further inquiries, feel free to contact us at iohajournal@gmail.com