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Journal of the Midwest Modern Language Association Fall 2026 Issue: The Humanities Is Where Hope Lives

Due Date: 09-15-2026

As the country, generally, and the academy, specifically, head into uncertain futures, hope can be found in the humanities. This assertion may seem especially quixotic considering both capitalist and cultural pressure in the United States to privilege the “usefulness” of any object, phenomena, or even person that is measurable in some kind of way. The effects of this utilitarianism on higher education have been manifold, such as reducing college degrees to passports to the working world and the vocations therein.

Please direct all questions to MMLA at mmla@luc.edu or to the editor of this issue, Joe Keener, at keenerj@iu.edu. You can also find more information on our website.

Submission deadline: 15 September 2026