Call for Papers – Perspectives on Racism Research

March 4, 2026 3 min. reading time

The rector of Bielefeld University, Prof. Dr. Angelika Epple, has taken a clear stance: the university is an integral part of society and must be a voice against worrying trends in the present day. She is therefore inviting all members of the university to actively participate in the action weeks against racism (March 1–April 30, 2026). As Bielefeld University Press (BiUP), we want to make our contribution: not only during the action weeks, but structurally and permanently.

The recently published stocktaking report by the German knowledge network for racism research (WinRa), “Zwischen Prekarität und Institutionalisierung” (Between Precarity and Institutionalization) https://www.winra.org/fileadmin/user_upload/pdf/WinRa_251127_WebPdf.pdf also shows how necessary such a long-term perspective is: Despite growing breadth of content, racism research in Germany continues to lack long-term institutional anchoring, stable funding, and structural visibility. Significant research gaps exist across many areas, and empirical foundations are often fragile or nearly absent.

As a university press, we want to actively help change this situation. We warmly invite researchers from all disciplines to submit Micro Monographs that bring underexplored topics in racism research to light.

#Call for Papers

We welcome submissions from all areas of racism research. We particularly encourage work that opens up new research spaces or addresses existing gaps, especially:

The Format: Micro Monograph

With the Micro Monograph, BiUP offers a format that enables contemporary academic publishing: focused, fast, and maximally accessible (and in this case, also dialogical).

Publication Features

  • 30–80 pages: not too short for an argument, not too long for an idea that is needed right now

  • All Micro Monographs undergo a quality-assured peer review process. Depending on the topic and the authors' preference, we work with either single-blind or open peer review.

  • Open Access: freely readable for scholars, practitioners, and the public — with no access barriers

  • Published quickly, because socially relevant research cannot wait

  • More than text: data, materials, and media can be integrated directly

  • Your text gets a response — comments from recognized experts turn research into a conversation

Submission and Process

We ask for the submission of an exposé of 2–4 pages. Submissions are accepted continuingly — in German or English — and should include the following elements:

  1. Title and abstract

  2. Research question and relevance

  3. Structure and scope

  4. Methodology or theoretical framework

  5. Time schedule

Contact and Submission

Sabrina Diab-Helmer (Managing Director)
biup_communication@uni-bielefeld.de

We look forward to projects that advance the field, close existing gaps, and open up new perspectives. All manuscripts accepted for publication by BiUP come with high-quality editorial support and an active visibility campaign.