Amsterdam Museum launches innovative academic journal

Innovative scholarly periodical

On Sunday, October 1st, the Amsterdam Museum published the first edition of Amsterdam Museum Journal (AMJournal). This new, peer-reviewed publication will appear twice yearly on the Amsterdam Museum website. AMJournal includes contributions from different fields and in a variety of forms, such as essays, research articles, and roundtable discussions, with the city as the primary topic. Moreover, AMJournal publishes contributions from scholars at all stages of their scholarly career. Each installment will present a different theme, such as “War, Conflict, and the City” (edition 1; October 2023) or “Deconstructing Gentrification” (edition 2; June 2024).

Different approaches

Emma van Bijnen, editor in chief of AMJournal and educator in language proficiency at the University of Amsterdam, sees opportunities in this innovative approach: “This line of thinking is appropriate to Amsterdam’s city museum; the themes that are explored reflect the diverse topics engaging our city. Complex issues call for multiple approaches. We therefore seek to deepen various disciplines: from art history to law and from sociology to philosophy, as well as multi-, cross-, trans, and interdisciplinary studies.”

Innovative voices

According to Margriet Schavemaker, the Amsterdam Museum’s artistic director and a professor of Media and Art in Museum Practice at the University of Amsterdam, this approach matches the current trajectory of the Amsterdam Museum. “We want to bring the polyvocality of the capital into everything we do: in the exhibitions we create and the programs we produce, but also in the research we perform. What we envision for AMJournal is reflected in this attitude. We offer a platform to not just established names but also young talent and fresh voices. Which is also why we encourage contributions from scholars at different stages in their scholarly career, from outstanding master’s students to lauded professors.”

Broadly accessible

So the journal can be made as accessible as possible to as many people as possible, the AMJournal is diamond open access, the highest degree of accessibility for an academic publication. All issues of the magazine, as well as individual contributions, can be downloaded for free from the newly updated website of the Amsterdam Museum. We are likewise pursuing the greatest possible accessibility for researchers. This means that author contribution fees are waived as well. Unlike many other scholarly journals, authors are not required to hold a research appointment at a university to be permitted to publish in AMJournal. Through an extensive double-blind peer review process, submissions are assessed based solely on their quality and not the author’s name. In addition, the most outstanding paper in each issue written by junior researchers and scholars without a research position will be granted a prize.

About the first edition

The journal’s first issue focuses on the theme “War, Conflict, and the City.” Its various contributions investigate the effects of war and conflict on the city and its inhabitants. In its role as a city museum, the Amsterdam Museum is responding to calls for cultural institutions to take responsibility in examining topics which concern residents and visitors. The theme of Amsterdam Museum Journal Edition #1: War, Conflict, and the City coincides with the exhibition Refresh Amsterdam #2: War & Conflict, which is on view from October 7, 2023, to February 25, 2024, at the Amsterdam Museum on the Amstel.

Symposium

As part of the first edition of AMJournal, a free symposium, open to the public, will be held on Sunday, October 8, which also takes “War, Conflict, and the City” as its theme. The symposium comprises short lectures, panel discussions, and performances. Gian-Louis Hernandez, Hatem Hegab, Chris Keulemans, We Sell Reality, Lara Khaldi, Senka Milutinović, Sahar Shirzad, Margriet Schavemaker, Emma van Bijnen, and Imara Limon are among the speakers during this symposium. Together they will tackle questions about the influence of situations involving war and conflict on cities and how immigrants and migrants experience their living environment.

Open call for the next edition

The second edition of AMJournal, themed “Deconstructing Gentrification,” is dedicated to gentrification in urban surroundings. This edition aims to present novel and layered research on this subject, elevating the academic discourse to new heights. AMJournal invites qualitative and quantitative researchers across all disciplines to contribute. The deadline for submitting abstracts is November 1, 2023. More information is available on the Amsterdam Museum website.