Public Humanities is a new international open-access, cross-disciplinary, peer-reviewed journal at the intersection of humanities scholarship and public life. The journal invites proposals for themed issues that pose urgent questions on contemporary public issues that require rigorous and relevant humanities knowledge.

The journal invites submissions for the upcoming Themed Issue Just Transitions: Multidisciplinary Perspectives on Shared Futures with Antimicrobial Resistance which will be Guest Edited by Dr Sheila Varadan, Dr Miriam Waltz, Dr Sara de Wit and Dr Claas Kirchhelle.

The deadline for submissions is 1 May 2025

Description 

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is among the most urgent and complex global health challenges of our time. An estimated 1.27 million deaths were attributed to bacterial drug-resistant infections in 2019 (Murray et al, Lancet 2022; Sartorius et al, Lancet Global Health, 2024). Antimicrobial resistance is a naturally occuring process, whereby microorganisms (bacteria, viruses, parasites, fungi) develop resistance to antimicrobials – agents or therapeutic substances intended to kill or inhibit microbial growth.  Like climate change, AMR transcends national borders, affecting communities in all parts of the world. However, the impact of AMR is not equally distributed.  Lower- and middle-income countries bear a disproportionate burden of AMR in part because of the higher disease burden, but also due to a lack of access to quality-assured, affordable antimicrobials, weak health systems, unsustainable food systems, and limited resources to address underlying structural inequalities and environmental factors driving AMR. The global response to AMR has tended to prioritize technology-drive solutions aimed at minimizing the clinical impact of drug-resistant infections (primarily in the global north) rather than focusing on the underlying inequalities (and systemic inequities) driving antimicrobial-use and AMR.

This themed issue reflects on ‘Just Transitions’ as a conceptual framework to draw out injustice, marginality and inequality arising out of and linked to AMR. We contemplate what an equitable and sustainable future with AMR might look like, and how principles of solidarity, equality, inclusivity and sustainability could inform transitions towards shared futures with the microbial world.  We invite submissions that address the following questions: 

• How are injustices and systemic inequities inscribed in AMR governance and programming?  
• How do existing policy frameworks (WHO Global Action Plan, AMR national action plans) address inequalities, tensions and trade-offs in AMR policies and decision-making? 
• What steps should be taken to ensure AMR is communicated in a way that promotes inclusivity and participation of marginalized and vulnerable groups? 
• Is there an avenue for redress against harms arising from and emanating out of AMR and AMR-related interventions? 
• Can human rights offer a platform for marginalized and vulnerable communities to seek justice and be heard?  
• How do we account for and safeguard the interests of the microbial world? 

Submission guidelines 

Submissions should be written in accessible language for a wider readership across and beyond the humanities.  Articles will be peer reviewed for both content and style. Articles will appear digitally and open access in the journal. 

All submissions should be made through the Public Humanities online peer review system. Authors should consult the journal’s Author Instructions prior to submission. All authors will be required to declare any funding and/or competing interests upon submission. See the journal’s Publishing Ethics guidelines for more information.

Contacts

Dr Miriam Waltz (ScholarOne) – m.h.a.waltz@fsw.leidenuniv.nl

Dr Sheila Varadan (general enquiries) – s.r.varadan@law.leidenuniv.nl

Questions regarding peer review can be sent to the Public Humanities inbox at publichumanities@cambridge.org