NB: This notice has been placed here at the request of one of the guest editors. DS

Special Issue of the British Journal of Aesthetics on “Transnational Feminist Aesthetics”

Firm deadline for submissions: 15th June 2026
Please adhere to the deadline as we are on a strict production schedule.

Guest Editors: Peg Brand Weiser (Indiana University, Emerita)
                       Sukhvinder Shahi (University of Arizona)
                       Ritwik Agrawal (University of Arizona)

This special issue invites work that treats art not as an object of “disinterested” contemplation but as a site of action, coalition, and world-making across borders. We seek contributions that show what transnational feminisms and the arts can do—linking artistic practice to pedagogy, advocacy, and solidarity, and developing intersectional analysis tracking gender, race, class, nation, ecology, and power. Building on Marsha Meskimmon’s call to couple theory and practice (2020), the issue aims to decolonize methods and canons by working with and through artists, critics, theorists, and philosophers across regions and traditions.

The guest editors invite philosophical papers discussing topics that include but are not limited to:

• How has feminist aesthetics described/reinscribed basic notions such as “art,” “artist,” “artwork,” “artworld,” “perception,” “interpretation,” “creativity,” and “aesthetic value”?
• How has the study of art by other cultures and traditions—e.g., Chinese, Japanese, Indian, Islamic, African, Subaltern, etc.—been realized within philosophical aesthetics?
• Does philosophical aesthetics admit of feminisms, much less transnational feminisms?
• How does adopting a disinterested stance preclude transnational feminist praxis and activism?
• Is there a feminist conception of the use of artificial intelligence, generative language models, and associated technologies in art making practices?
• Reflections on feminist perspectives on the “right to sex” (Srinivasan 2022) and its relation to depictions of women on dating apps and platforms such as “Only Fans”.
• The analysis of Deepfakes, Sexbots, and Digital Companions that present complex issues that intersect with feminist concerns about objectification, consent, and the portrayal of women in society.
• Philosophical reflections on depiction of feminity and sexuality in popular media, including streaming platforms like Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime, and in cinema, with a special focus on the increasing prominence of women of colour.
• Feminist conceptual art that emerged as a response to the male-dominated sphere of conceptual art and the broader socio-political landscape that often marginalized or ignored women’s experiences and contributions.
• Reflections on Women and LGTBQ+ artists who have addressed issues of objectification, beauty standards, and bodily autonomy, often using their own bodies as mediums or subjects of their art to reclaim the narrative around the female form.
• The work of artists who have focused on the domestic sphere, highlighting the undervaluation of women’s labour in both artistic and domestic contexts. This includes the use of materials traditionally associated with women’s work, such as textiles, and techniques deemed as craft rather than high art.

Papers should conform to the usual BJA requirements and be submitted for consideration through the BJA submissions site by June 15th, 2026. All submissions will undergo blind review.

Enquires should be directed to bjafeministaesthetics@gmail.com

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