Signs (journal)

Signs (journal)
Title	Signs
Discipline	Women's studies; gender studies; feminist theory
Abbreviation	Signs
Publisher	University of Chicago Press for University of Chicago's Department of Gender and Women's Studies (originally University of Chicago Press)
Country	United States
Frequency	Quarterly
History	1975–present
Issn	0097-9740
Eissn	1533-2712

Signs (journal) is a peer-reviewed academic journal that publishes research in women's studies, gender studies, and feminist theory. Established in 1975, it has become influential across interdisciplinary fields such as sociology, anthropology, history, literature, philosophy, political science, and law. The journal is notable for its engagement with global scholarship and its role in shaping debates connected to feminism, intersectionality, and cultural critique.

History

The journal was founded in the mid-1970s amid the rise of the second-wave feminism movement alongside institutional developments like the creation of programs at Barnard College, San Diego State University, and the University of Michigan. Early editorial contributors included scholars linked to programs at Radcliffe College, Smith College, and University of California, Berkeley, while administrative support and distribution networks involved entities such as Academic Press and later University of Chicago Press. Over successive decades, editorial stewardship featured scholars affiliated with institutions like Harvard University, Brown University, Princeton University, Stanford University, and University of California, Los Angeles, reflecting the journal’s expansion from American centers of feminist scholarship to transnational dialogues involving researchers at University of Toronto, London School of Economics, University of Melbourne, and University of Cape Town.

Between the 1980s and 2000s, the journal engaged with intellectual currents associated with figures and moments such as bell hooks, Judith Butler, Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak, Patricia Hill Collins, and debates around postcolonialism, race and ethnicity scholarship emerging from conferences like the Modern Language Association annual meeting and workshops sponsored by institutions including the Social Science Research Council and the Ford Foundation. The journal’s archives indicate thematic special issues responding to events like the end of the Cold War, the expansion of the European Union, global anti-apartheid movements, and transnational feminist organizing such as activities tied to the World Conference on Women.

Scope and Editorial Focus

Signs centers on scholarship that advances critical analysis within women's studies, gender studies, and allied fields including queer theory, critical race theory, disability studies, transnational studies, and diaspora studies. It publishes original research articles, review essays, and thematic clusters that interrogate topics connected to subjects such as work by scholars at Columbia University, New York University, Duke University, and Yale University. Editorial aims emphasize methodological diversity that spans ethnographic work typical of American Anthropological Association members, archival research practiced by historians at The Huntington, comparative studies seen in scholarship from Oxford University, and theoretical interventions similar to those published by contributors affiliated with The New School and University of California, Berkeley.

The journal frequently foregrounds intersectional approaches influenced by scholarship associated with Kimberlé Crenshaw and engages debates around cultural production examined through the lenses advanced by critics publishing in venues like Critical Inquiry and Social Text. Special issues have concentrated on topics such as feminist theory and neoliberalism, reproductive politics debated in contexts including the Planned Parenthood Federation of America controversies, and visual cultures discussed alongside exhibitions at the Museum of Modern Art and the Tate Modern.

Publication and Access

Published quarterly, the journal follows a peer review process coordinated by an editorial office based within an academic department and managed in partnership with the University of Chicago Press. Submissions undergo double-blind review consistent with standards promoted by organizations like the Committee on Publication Ethics and the Council of Editors of Learned Journals. Access options include institutional subscriptions held by libraries such as the Library of Congress, holdings in consortia like JSTOR and aggregations managed by Project MUSE, and individual subscriptions or pay-per-view provided by the publisher. The journal also participates in academic initiatives concerning open access debates similar to those involving Plan S and discussions at the Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition.

Abstracting and Indexing

The journal is indexed in major bibliographic services and citation databases used in humanities and social science research, including Web of Science, Scopus, JSTOR, Project MUSE, and the Modern Language Association International Bibliography. It appears in disciplinary indexes serving scholars affiliated with institutions such as Cornell University, University of Chicago, University of Pennsylvania, and Columbia University. The journal’s impact metrics are tracked in sources utilized by departments during evaluation processes, alongside alternative metrics reported through platforms like Altmetric.

Notable Articles and Impact

Over its history the journal has published influential essays and debates that intersect with the work of scholars such as Simone de Beauvoir-inspired feminist scholarship, the writings of Michel Foucault as appropriated in gender studies, and scholarship aligned with Angela Davis. Notable contributions have shaped conversations about intersectionality associated with Kimberlé Crenshaw, queer theory linked to Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick, postcolonial critique connected to Homi K. Bhabha, and feminist historiography in dialogue with archives curated at institutions like the Smithsonian Institution. The journal’s special issues and symposiums have been cited in legal briefs, policy reports from organizations such as United Nations Women and the World Health Organization, and in curricular formations across departments at universities including University of California, San Diego and University of Washington.

Editorial Board and Governance

The journal’s governance model includes an editor-in-chief, associate editors, and an international editorial board composed of scholars from universities such as University of Oxford, Columbia University, University of São Paulo, Seoul National University, and University of Nairobi. Advisory roles have been filled by senior figures active in networks like the American Studies Association and the International Sociological Association. Editorial policies reflect ethical guidelines by bodies including the Committee on Publication Ethics and institutional review standards linked to university human subjects committees at places like Johns Hopkins University and University of California, Los Angeles.

Category:Academic journals Category:Feminist journals Category:Gender studies journals