Aims and Scope

ISSN: 2300-200X

Editorial Team

Journal publisher

Widok. Foundation for Visual Culture

ul. Jagiellońska 54/99, 03–463 Warsaw

Widok: Theories and Practices of Visual Culture is a bilingual, Polish_English interdisciplinary, peer-review academic journal devoted to theories and practices of visual culture. The Journal is a space for thought, one where we examine how seeing is understood both in contemporary theory and research within the humanities, as well as how it is put into use in different types of practices – both vernacular and artistic, in different media, cultural and social contexts. Finally, in our work on images, we remember that their sense is often completed by words. We remain conscious that words and images constantly reflect each other, that literature and the written word serve not only as a space of theorizing seeing, but are also its expression and record. Lastly, we do not forget that the category of the gaze is also central in literature.

Widok continues to address the intersection of critical theory, cultural studies, literature studies, philosophy, art history, performance studies, social sciences as well as artistic and curatorial practice. Our interests intersect in the field of visual culture. For us, this term designates an anthropological perspective, one that doesn’t privilege sight, but rather points to the visual as meaningful and inspiring. We believe that there is no single point from which one can view the cultural panorama in its entirety. A “view” is always the result of looking from a certain angle.

International team of editors works for the advancement of academic research on visual culture and contemporary art through a publishing policy that promotes inclusive, informed, and ethical academic debate based on reliable scholarly publications of the highest possible quality. We follow the COPE guidelines in our work eithics.

We invite Polish or English language original, refereed manuscripts to three main sections: Close Up (research and review articles, peer-reviewed and indexed), Panorama (review articles peer-reviewed and indexed), and Viewpoint (internally assessed). The topics of subsequent issues are announced in advance on the journal's website and social media in the form of a CFPs.

We welcome proposals from scholars of diverse academic and cultural backgroud, both advanced, early and midcareer. The journal's audience includes scholars, artists and students of visual culture, cultural studies, performance, literature studies, as well as art history and art.

Publication form and schedule

Widok is published three times a year. In 2013-2016 it was published four times a year. Since its beginning its primary (referential) form is online both html and pdf (ISSN: 2300-200X). All content is available online immediately in open access on CC BY 4.0 license.

Fees and Charges

To ensure diversity, inclusivity and equality in academic debate, we do not charge authors any fees.

The journal is financially supported by academic institutions and subsidised by grants and programmes from the Ministry of Higher Education and Science and the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage. Information on all forms of additional funding is published in each issue of the journal. The journal does not publish advertisements or any other paid content.

Archiving and indexing

The long-term access to Widok is granted by archiving in POLONA (a digital library created by the National Library of Poland through which the resources of the National Library and other institutions are made available free of charge in digital form). All published content will also be available there should the journal cease to exist.

The Journal is included in the ERIH+ index and its content is also available in the CEEOL and EBSCO repository. In 2018-2020, it came under the aegis of the “Support for Scientific Journals” program run by the Polish Ministry of Science and Higher Education.

The Title of the Journal

The word “widok” (view) seems neutral enough. A view is simply what appears before our eyes wherever we turn our heads. Often, in order to access a view, we only need to focus our attention, or merely adjust our eyes. The Polish dictionary defines a “view” as a “seen space” and a “landscape,” as well as “an image” or the “appearance of something” as in “seeing someone or something.” The definition includes phrases that contain the word, such as “with a view to” and “in view,” as well as expressions that point to intentional actions connected with the practices of seeing (e.g. “viewing point”). This normative definition reveals an entanglement characteristic of visual practices. The illusion of automatic seeing is accompanied by the concept of seeing as a conscious activity. A “view” is simultaneously a space commanded by the viewing subject and an “image” understood as a framed space loaded with “iconic differences,” a surplus of meaning. The “view” is seen as an unidentifiable distance that coexists with “a view,” of which we can ourselves become a part. And then there is a “view” established by sight, which is a space of concentration, but one which can quickly become a space of wandering and blurriness.

By establishing a journal titled Widok, we’re interested in unraveling this entanglement, investigating the discipline of viewing’s single threads and motives, but always keeping in mind its complexity.

Section Policies

Close-up

This is the main section of each issue and contains peer-reviewed academic articles (in two language versions) devoted to the theme of a given issue. Upcoming themes are announced in the CFP tab.

Panorama

This section contains peer-reviewed academic articles not necessarily related to the leading theme of the issue. Please feel free to submit articles relevant to the journal’s main subject regardless of the dates of publication of the next thematic issues.

Perspectives

This section embraces discussions held by the editorial team and with invited guests, interviews, conversations, curatorial texts and commentaries on the leading theme of the issue.

Viewpoint

This section features artistic projects and other presentations of visual materials of interest in the context of the leading theme of the issue. We treat them as research statements, but presented in a form other than that of an article.

Snapshots

This section presents critical analysis and reviews of publications, exhibitions, theater plays, films, and other cultural artefacts in a broader context.