Unrest Magazine is a zero profit online magazine created and controlled by a cell of critical agitators. Unrest is dedicated to providing a space for alternative voices to challenge and critique the mainstream discourse that dominates policy circles and the field of peace and conflict studies.  To learn more, please see our About page or email us at unrestmag(at)gmail.com.

Starting in March 2012 Unrest Magazine is switching to a new format.  In order to keep up with world developments as they unfold, Unrest will begin publishing pieces on a more frequent basis.  Content will be available via our website as soon as it is approved by the Editorial Cell.  In addition, Unrest Magazine will publish two issues per year (Spring and Fall) that will focus more elusively on pieces from our Discourse section, as well as, highlighting the best content from the period leading up to publication.

We are always looking for interested collaborators who would like to submit content or help with the publication. Please get in touch if you are interested in working with us! Those interested in submitting articles please see the guidelines below.

We currently do not place advertisements for non-affiliated groups/products on our site or in our publication.  If you are interested in having Unrest promote something, please contact us directly for more details.  We also review books and other publications at our discretion.  Please email for a shipping address.

Features: 3000 words max

Features contains articles designed to provoke and expand discussion around current events and key topics. Articles address such timely issues as: militarism, American politics, violence, social movements, global governance, development, etc…  Features is a chance for people to speak their minds in a forum that engages others to think critically about the complexity of everyday life at the intersection of history and biography. Writers are encouraged to produce magazine-style pieces rather than longer academic articles. Think more along the lines of a piece you might read at Foreign Policy or in The Nation; only we expect a more critical examination rooted in a conflict sensitive perspective and less U.S. style party politics. Features is your chance to show the world you can communicate the complexity of the Twenty-First Century in less than 500 pages.

Please use endnotes for any citations.

Fringe:  3000 words max

Fringe is designed to test the limits of theory and action in response to today’s complex problems.  Here we dare to gaze into the abyss and ask, “What if?”  Fringe is designed as a communicative space where creative propositions are articulated and also challenged by the thoughtful critiques they deserve.  Leading thinkers in the field of peace and conflict research are given a chance to pursue unconventional ideas in a forum that moves beyond today’s prescriptive responses to issues of war and violence in 3000 words or less.  Unrest Magazine selects one of our editors to offer a response perspective on the piece.  Additionally, we encourage readers of Unrest to react to the ideas presented in both pieces and suggest their own visions for future engagements or interventions.

The ideas expressed in Fringe do not necessarily represent the Unrest party line, that is if one could say such a unified line exists.  Unrest provides this space as one way of encouraging the deliberative practices we feel essential for critically engaging with complexities of the 21st Century.  Readers are encouraged to submit thoughtful and coherently articulated responses to the ideas presented in Fringe in 800 words or less.  Pieces that respectfully engage with the authors’ material will be published as they are received.   A name and valid email address is required for publication.

Discourse:  20,000 words max

Discourse focuses on high quality, original academic journal-style articles and longer investigative pieces on topics of pressing relevance. Discourse aims to expand our understanding of peace and conflict theory, research, and praxis. This section is a chance for contributors to produce longer works exploring a diverse range of issues using cutting-edge theory and research from a range of epistemological traditions. Those unfamiliar with the academic style pieces should check out the New Left Review or the Journal of Peace Research for examples.  Discourse pieces are published twice yearly in the Spring and Fall issues.

References and citations: APA or Chicago style.

Use endnotes, not footnotes.

Abstract (100-300 words) plus keywords.

Fragments

Sometimes the contradictions of modernity can only be gazed in passing. Fragments embraces the many ways we come to investigate an idea.  Submissions to Fragments should be directed to one of three sections:  Banter, Right Hemisphere, and Voices.  See details below.

Banter:  1500 words max

Banter is our catchall section for shorter opinion pieces and reviews. Want to write a review of the new Žižek book or critique the latest in peacekeeping practice? Do it here. Think the film Avatar is a problematic take on the challenges facing indigenous groups and environmental conflict? Tell us about it. Want to share with us how much you dislike Unrest? Well, this is the place for you. The Banter section provides access to reflections on the larger cultural sphere. It allows for communication without the mindlessness of message boards and comment sections. We welcome any contribution that is thoughtfully articulated, including: reviews of recent/past publications, reviews of art/music/films, and opinions based on our content.

Voices: 3000 words max

Voices contains interviews with people we think the world ought to know about.  However, we also know there are plenty of people we’ve never heard of and that do awesome stuff; this is your chance to let them shine. Interviews should relate to the core vision of the magazine, but all submissions will be considered.

Full Transcripts, audio (MP3) files, video clips, highlights, and/or a combination of these accepted

Right Hemisphere:

For those whose brains are hardwired for the arts, Unrest would be interested in featuring your work. This includes, but is not limited, to photography, photo essays, electronic art, street art, poetry, etc… You create it, we show it. However, the Art Dictator (aka the Editor-in-Chief) has limited tolerance for work that is unintentionally out-of-focus, in exultation of the earth-mother-goddess, intentionally aloof, and will by no means post drawings of doves and peace signs (no matter how well done). We all have our limits.

Requirements:

  • Photo essays should be submitted as a word document or pdf
  • Limited to ten works per artist
  • Jpeg preferred for images
  • Please include a brief description and artist’s information along with your work

A Final Note on Submissions:

As stated above, Unrest Magazine is a zero profit endeavor.  Our staff and writers contribute their time and energy free of charge, because we feel Unrest is a necessary venue for the promotion of new and creative ideas.  Therefore, as much as we would love to pay you for your work, we do not have the funds to do so.  We can only offer you the opportunity to share your ideas with the world and be part of the growing conversation about the pressing need to develop alternatives to mass violence in its many and varied forms.

All written submissions should be in Word document format. All content submitted to Unrest Magazine is subject to review by the Editorial Cell (EC) of the magazine. The EC are the sole deciders of the website’s content. Any submission requiring changes for the Discourse section will be returned to the author/contributor for changes before content is published. Edits to all other submissions are subject to the discretion of the EC. We retain the right to reject submissions and remove approved content at any time. Contributors are responsible for securing necessary permissions for any previously published work. Unrest publishes all content under a creative commons license.

Send submissions to submissions@unrestmag.com
Other inquiries please contact unrestmag@gmail.com