Holocaust Memory in Central Europe
The “Central European Memory of the Holocaust in a Multicultural and Multidimensional Perspective” [CEMORY] project team at the Centre for Comparative Studies of Civilisations (Jagiellonian University in Kraków) and the editorial team of The Polish Journal of the Arts and Culture. New Series invite you to submit articles for 2/2026 thematic edition.

“Central European Memory of the Holocaust in a Multicultural and Multidimensional Perspective” [CEMORY] project is funded under Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values Programme (CERV).

The topic of The Polish Journal of the Arts and Culture. New Series 2/2026 is: Holocaust Memory in Central Europe.

The Polish Journal of the Arts and Culture. New Series is a peer-reviewed academic journal devoted to in-depth reflection on culture – its nature, the processes that have transformed it and continue to do so, as well as the forms it takes and has taken in various areas of civilisation.

In the planned thematic volume, we invite you to explore the Central European perception of the Holocaust and its place within the multidimensional landscape of contemporary Holocaust discourse in the European Union. We recognise the peculiar position held by Central European countries: shaped not only by being the geographical epicentre of the Holocaust, but also by specific social, political and cultural circumstances after the Second World War. We aim to address the possible tensions, struggles and conflicts between the canon of Holocaust memory in Western Europe and traditions of memory emerging from Central Europe. We invite you to ponder on Holocaust memory and various remembrance narratives in connection to European socio-political history, and to examine the strategies used by various countries to relate to their difficult past while also helping to shape contemporary European identity.

With this in mind, the editors of the volume invite you to consider, in particular, the following issues:

- the Europeanisation process of Holocaust memory on an institutional, narrative, and educational level;
- the role of Central European spaces of memory and memorial sites in artistic remembrance practices and memory discourse in Europe, both domestically and on a European level;
- the meaning of Holocaust memory in shaping contemporary European identity, the role of a shared past and collective cultural memory in the identity-building processes of a united society;
- the purpose of commemorating the Holocaust in the context of current European (and worldwide) conflicts;
- the multidirectional, cosmopolitan and transnational memory of the Holocaust;
- deliberative democracy as a tool for reconciliation in a multicultural, multiethnic, and divided European society;
- the diversity of memory culture on a transnational, national, and regional level, as well as the variety in exhibiting the experience of the Holocaust across different European settings.

Regardless of the above, the editorial office is open to other topics that fall within the theme of the presented Call For Papers. If you have any doubts, we encourage you to consult the proposed topics with the Editors of the volume. Comparative, multidimensional and interdisciplinary viewpoints as well as focus on the visibility of minorities’ diverse experiences and perspectives of the Holocaust are especially welcome. We invite you to share the results of your research to further knowledge and understanding
of the Shoah and its consequences throughout European societies.

Editors of the volume: Anna Kuchta, Ph.D., Karolina Kotkowska, Ph.D., Karol Wilczynski, Ph.D. (Jagiellonian University in Kraków, CEMORY project team).

Please send texts in English only and in electronic form to pjac@uj.edu.pl, taking into account the formal requirements posted on the journal's website, in the 'Instructions for Authors' tab.

In the title of your email please write PJAC.NS 2/2026. In a separate document please write your name, affiliation and ORCID number (if available). The main article should not mention any of the Author(s)’ names.

The deadline for submitting articles for the 2/2026 thematic edition is 15 October 2025.

Articles that do not meet the formal or thematic requirements will not be accepted.

All proposed articles are subject to a double-blind peer review procedure, which will be performed without bias and in accordance with COPE Ethical Guidelines for Peer Reviewers and with the journal's policy (Fair Play Rule).

The Polish Journal of Arts and Culture. New Series is an open-access journal, which means that all content is freely available without charge to readers or their institutions. Articles published in this journal are available under license: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0). The journal is digitally archived in POLONA – the National Digital Library of Poland and Academica (online interlibrary system), which ensures backup storage and therefore long-term availability.

The Rules of Publication Ethics followed by the journal are in line with the guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), Code of Conduct and Best Practice Guidelines for Journal Editors and Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing.

The journal has an international reach (both in terms of authorship and readership) and is indexed in international scientific databases (including Central and Eastern European Online Library, ERIH PLUS: the European Reference Index for the Humanities and Social Sciences, Index Copernicus International, ProQuest Central). The journal is included by the Polish Ministry of Science and Higher Education on their list of recognised academic journals.

A special event is planned to promote the launch of the publication, create space for discussions with regard to the publication topics, and allow the CEMORY project team at the Centre for Comparative Studies of Civilisations (Jagiellonian University in Kraków) an opportunity to summarise the Holocaust research conducted during CEMORY project.

Releasing a thematic, Holocaust-focused issue of The Polish Journal of the Arts and Culture. New Series journal is part of “Central European Memory of the Holocaust in a Multicultural and Multidimensional Perspective” [CEMORY] project funded under the Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values Programme (CERV).

The CEMORY project is funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or European Education and Culture Executive Agency. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.