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The study of indigeneities almost invariably entails the study of struggles for political, territorial, social and cultural recognition. The concept of indigeneity thus conjures associations related to spatio-historical configurations among postcolonial states and spaces removed from or returned to indigenous populations. The field of Indigeneity Studies has also emerged as an intervention into established disciplinary structures within the humanities and social sciences, exposing the complicity of discourses within fields ranging from cultural antropology to comparative literature in the legacies of imperial subjugations, forceful invasions and territorial appropriations.

The 5th issue of On_Culture sets out to make a contribution to the conceptual (re)construction of the concept of indigeneity. First, the issue aims at mapping a conceptual array of indigeneities by interrelating the category with other concepts and categories in the study of culture, such as imperialism, (post-, de‑)coloniality, autochthony, and majority/minority, among others. Second, the issue tries to distill more precise understandings of the territoriality and spatiality that the category of indigeneity invokes in its different instantiations. The question is not only what kinds of territoriality and spatiality the use of ‘indigeneity’ conjures up in different historical contexts, but also what territoriality and spatiality might mean in those contexts.

We invite traditional academic articles, essays (e.g. review essays) as well as other, dynamic and multimedia contributions such as video clips, interviews and visual statements, the latter of which can be submitted on a rolling basis. Contributions are supposed to move within the field of the conceptual, methodological, epistemological, and praxeological questions broadly circumscribed above. More concrete questions to be raised and discussed might include, but are by no means restricted to, the following:

• • What are complementary or contesting concepts to indigeneity in the interdisciplinary study of culture (like for example, foreignness, imperialism, autochthony, mobility, belonging, hybridity, etc.)?
  • To what understandings of space/place/territory are specific claims at indigeneity connected? What sense of spatiality does the attribution of ‘indigeneity’ invoke?
  • How can we interrelate different takes on indigeneity as a concept? This question might, e.g., be pursued in form of co-authored papers that bridge different research projects.
  • How do uses of the concept of indigeneity affect the ways in which researchers within the study of culture position themselves not only in an academic, but also in a political field? What spatio-temporal configurations might render the concept of indigeneity problematic, and for what reasons?
  • To what extent can indigeneity serve as what Mieke Bal has described as a ‘traveling concept’, i.e. a concept that travels between disciplines and research cultures, thus enabling a fruitful dialogue in the interdisciplinary study of culture?
  • What other concepts in the study of culture overlap with, problematize, contest or undermine the epistemological and political implications of indigeneity, and how so?

If you are interested in having a peer reviewed academic article featured in the next issue, please submit an abstract of 300 words with the article title and a short biographical note to content@on-culture.org (subject line “Abstract Submission”) no later than August 31, 2017. The final date for full paper submissions is January 15, 2018.

Please note: On_Culture also features a section devoted to shorter, creative pieces pertaining to each issue topic. These can be interviews, essays, opinion pieces, reviews of exhibitions, analyses of cultural artifacts and events, photo galleries, videos, works of art… and more! These contributions are uploaded on a rolling basis. Interested in contributing? Send your ideas to the Editorial Team at any time: content@on-culture.org