Call for Papers Special Issue No. 12: Who Cares About History? Archives and Memories as Ways of Resisting Depoliticization and Neofascist Advances
In 2025, we commemorate not only 100 years of Social Work in Chile and Latin America, but also a century since the Chilean 1925 Constitution, among other significant dates. In this context, new and important questions arise regarding archives and sources—their preservation and construction, their appropriate use, and their relationship to the writing of history. These questions emerge, for example, in light of the creation of new archival collections of historic Social Work theses at the Universidad Técnica Metropolitana (UTEM) and the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile (PUC), as well as the donations made by the Amanda Jofré and Afrodita labor unions—pioneering trans/travesti organizations in Santiago and Valparaíso, respectively—to the National Archive. These and other milestones prompt us to follow the threads of histories often rendered invisible in official narratives. Such concrete examples invite us to consider what kinds of memories they activate, which genealogies they disrupt, and how they challenge hegemonic historical narratives through their own archival gestures. All of this becomes even more urgent in a context where information is produced at a vertiginous pace online, and where large amounts of “fake news” circulate, often fueled by far-right revisionism. For this reason, it seems more urgent than ever to reflect on the relationship between archives, methodologies, and research.
Propuestas Críticas en Trabajo Social – Critical Proposals in Social Work is a bilingual journal published by the Department of Social Work at the University of Chile, which promotes debate on inequalities and social justice. The journal seeks to disseminate proposals and analyses on social issues from theoretical–conceptual, political, and historical perspectives, framed within a plurality of critical approaches from the social sciences, and from Social Work discussions in dialogue with other disciplines.
We welcome contributions from diverse disciplines and methodological traditions, including studies based on qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-methods designs, as well as participatory and/or collaborative approaches linked to territories, communities, collectives, social movements, and public policies. For this issue, we additionally open a space for the arts and humanities, memory/heritage sites and museography, as well as science and technology, particularly that which is related to archives, memory, and history. The journal also accepts theoretical discussion articles in essay format and book reviews.
For Issue 12, we aim to explore the relationship between archives, memory, and history, asking in particular about methodological and theoretical innovations regarding what an “archive” is—or ought to be; about how transdisciplinary and interdisciplinary research is conducted using diverse types of archives (virtual, sound, audiovisual, state, colonial, activist, etc.); and about the different ways of developing artistic, cultural heritage, and museographic interventions that interpret archival material. Some guiding questions include: What existing—and emerging—archives lead us to rethink more “official” memories and histories, and why? In what ways do the construction of new archives and the incorporation of new sources help us reconsider historical narratives that previously excluded certain subjectivities (for example: Afro-descendant communities, LGBTQIA+ people, Indigenous peoples, etc.) and/or regional or local experiences? How do “official” archives of historical truth—such as those in museums and memory/heritage sites—resist far-right revisionist attacks? How can archival work help to demystify and clarify the fake news and falsehoods disseminated through radio, television, podcasts, YouTube, and other media, and what challenges have arisen in undertaking these tasks in the twenty-first century?
Although this issue focuses broadly on concerns surrounding the use of sources and archives in research, contributions may also address the political and ideological contexts that hinder knowledge production at regional and global levels. Examples include Trump in the United States, Milei in Argentina, and Orbán in Hungary, whose governments have demonstrated a notable disregard for science, for the historical truth related to crimes against humanity, and for the rights of women and LGBTQIA+ populations. In this sense, certain archives are under attack, and contributions to this issue may illuminate these realities—not only in relation to what is preserved, but also to what is deliberately erased from the archive and from history. Understanding the archive as a space of resistance and reparation in the face of such threats becomes an urgent and collective task.
The guest editors for this issue are Hillary Hiner and María Pía Infante, feminist historians affiliated with the Master’s Program in Gender Studies (Social Sciences track), at the University of Chile, and members of the Feminist Historians’ Network.
Deadlines and Guidelines
Submissions in Spanish and English are accepted until April 30, 2026, for publication in Issue 12 of the journal on October 30, 2026.
All submissions must be uploaded via the journal’s online platform.
Guidelines for manuscript preparation and submission:
All articles are reviewed under a double-blind peer review system based on the following criteria: https://revistapropuestascriticas.uchile.cl/index.php/RPCTS/politicas
Formatting and submission instructions: https://revistapropuestascriticas.uchile.cl/index.php/RPCTS/about/submissions
Contact: propuestascriticas@facso.cl
Indexing
Our journal is indexed in EBSCO, ERIH PLUS, DOAJ, Latindex y Dialnet.
