“We the People”: Telling the Story of the US 250th in Fairy Tales, Folklore, and Myth
A special issue of Humanities (ISSN 2076-0787).
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 1 December 2026 | Viewed by 90
Special Issue Editors
Interests: gender and race in nineteenth-century literature; fantastic literature and fairy tales
Interests: 17th-18th-century France; fairy tale; material culture
Interests: occupational folklife; homelessness; veterans of World War II; pandemic folklore; American film and mass media
Interests: theater and performance studies; propaganda; Sino-Japanese cultural relations; film studies; Chinese language and culture; Korean language and culture; gender politics; intersectionality; folklore; popular culture; 20th century music and literature; the international avant-garde
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
The Modern Language Association (MLA) Executive Committee for Folklore, Myth, and Fairy Tales is interested in creating a Special Issue in connection with the guaranteed panel at the 2026 Convention, exploring fairy tales, folklore, mythology, and the 250th anniversary of the US Declaration of Independence.
This Special Issue of Humanities explores the idea of “we the people” in fairy tales, folklore, and mythology. While foundational documents like the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution tell one story about national identity, diverse storytellers construct the identity of the many in dramatically different ways. We seek submissions that address the cultural significance of the semiquincentennial of the US Declaration of Independence by taking up those stories that have helped construct the country's local, national, and transnational identities. Stories that relate to or reflect upon the late eighteenth century are encouraged, and we are especially interested in stories that resist the celebration of coloniality.
Dr. Abigail Heiniger
Dr. Christine A. Jones
Dr. James Deutsch
Dr. Liang Luo
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
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Keywords
- fairy tales
- folklore
- mythology
- coloniality
- national, and transnational identities
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