Contours of Belonging in Minority Communities: Call for Submissions to the Journal Port Acadie

• Deadline for proposals: 15 September 2026
• Deadline for Manuscripts: 15 December 2026
• VERSION FRANÇAISE ici.

Even as contemporary societies are marked by tensions over identity and increasingly exclusionary discourse, minority communities seek to maintain meaningful ties, affirm their cohesion, and come together. In the Acadian context, a major cultural event, i.e. the Congrès mondial acadien or World Acadian Congress, held every five years, provides a special opportunity to bring together the driving forces of this Francophone community and to revive, if only symbolically, the unity shattered during the Great Upheaval—that is, the expulsion and exile of French-speaking settlers from Eastern Canada in the 18^th century at the hands of the British Empire. While historical memory still plays a defining role, contemporary developments within Acadian communities nevertheless raise broader questions about the dynamics that shape collective identity today. In what ways is the sense of belonging constructed, transformed, or undermined in a context affected both by social “disintegration”—which leads to individual isolation—and by the possibility of claiming multiple identities? By broadening this call beyond the Acadian situation, we invite researchers in the humanities and social sciences to explore the contours of belonging among minority peoples and communities.

To shed further light on these issues, we welcome submissions for an upcoming issue of Port Acadie: An Interdisciplinary Journal in Acadian Studies, to be published in 2027. Port Acadie publishes refereed texts (in French or English) such as scholarly articles and research notes, as well as essays, reviews of academic and literary works, interviews, and creative works. Proposals for scholarly articles, research notes, and essays (title and abstract, max. 250 words) must be submitted by 15 September 2026. Completed manuscripts of accepted proposals must be submitted by 15 December 2026.

Manuscripts must follow the Chicago Manual of Style, whether using author-date format or footnotes, and should include a full bibliography. For more information, please visit https://www.usainteanne.ca/port-acadie or write to us at port-acadie@usainteanne.ca.

Special issue edited by Clint Bruce (Observatoire Nord/Sud, Université Sainte-Anne) and Sandrine Mournier (Canadian Institute for Research on Linguistic Minorities)