Call for Proposals: AAWM Journal of Music and Nature 

Special Issue on Multispecies Sound and Movement

In an era marked by ecological challenges, cultural shifts, and technological advancements, the ways in which humans engage with other species through sound and movement offer rich grounds for exploration and dialogue. The Analytical Approaches to World Musics (AAWM) Journal of Music and Nature invites submissions for a special issue curated by the Multispecies Sound and Movement Study Group, part of the International Council for Traditions of Music and Dance (ICTMD). In this special issue, we seek to understand how emergent problems might be addressed by researchers working with multispecies interactions that focus on sound and movement. Following the inaugural symposium of our study group entitled “Why More-than-Human Musicking Now?” held at the Nuremberg University of Music in October of 2024, this call is open to contributions from symposium participants as well as from artists and scholars working beyond our study group’s membership. 

Scope and Objectives: The guest editors of the special issue invite proposals that examine how sound and movement practices reflect and shape relationships between human and nonhuman beings. In particular, we seek proposals that are in dialogue with other-than-human voices and vibrational ecologies as well as works that examine our social lives as planetary kin. We invite proposals that address, but are not limited to:

• Critical perspectives on terms, theories, and methods used in more-than-human research
• Research on multispecies movement and sound-making in ethnomusicology, sound studies, anthropology, ecology, performance studies, and other disciplines
• Sensory ecologies and their biological and social significance
• Animal and plant communication systems and their parallels with human sound-making and languaging practices
• Technological mediation and use of AI in researching interspecies interactions
• Methodologies for working with soundscapes in field research, scholarship, and art
• Indigenous knowledge systems and their implications for multispecies research
• Experimental approaches for writing and collaborating with nonhumans
• Ethical and political considerations in engaging with nonhuman agents

Submission Process:

1. Proposal Stage: Please submit a proposal (300–500 words) outlining your contribution by May 15, 2025. Proposals should detail the topic, methodology, and contribution to the field of multispecies sound and movement studies. In addition, please include a short excerpt that shows us your intended writing voice as well as a selected bibliography and a short bio. Proposals will be reviewed and selected by the guest editorial board.
2. Notification of Proposal Acceptance: June 15, 2025
3. Full Paper Stage: Authors of accepted proposals will be invited to submit full manuscripts (5,000–10,000 words) by September 15, 2025. All submissions will undergo external peer review and are subject to approval by the journal’s editorial board before publication.
4. Expected Publication: February 2026

Proposal Submission:
Please submit your proposals using the following online form.

Guest Editorial Board:

The members of the Guest Editorial Board for this special issue of the AAWM Journal of Music and Nature are:

• Dr. Robert O. Beahrs (Center for Advanced Studies in Music / MIAM, Istanbul Technical University, Türkiye)
• Dr. Christian Ferlaino (Università della Calabria, Italy)
• Mitra Jahandideh (Australian National University, Australia)
   

Please join us in advancing a conversation about how attuning ourselves with other-than-human life worlds enacts a critical practice of care and empathic inter-being. Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to email Mitra Jahandideh at Mitra.Jahandideh@anu.edu.au with the subject heading ‘Special Issue-AAWM Journal of Music and Nature.’

Sincerely,

Dr. Robert O. Beahrs, Dr. Christian Ferlaino, Mitra Jahandideh