We are to pleased to announce that we are joining more than thirty university presses and hundreds of authors in being a part of Path to Open, a new program from JSTOR that supports the publishing of open access scholarly monographs. The first 100 books will be released in the fall of 2023, with an additional 300 titles being published annually during the term of the pilot, 2024-2026.
UIP director Laurie Matheson says, “We are excited to participate with our peer presses in this effort toward a sustainable open access model for humanities monographs. This initiative promises to facilitate scaling up open access by anchoring it in a well-respected central platform. This promises to move open access beyond ad hoc support for individual titles at individual presses. We hope libraries will see this as a way to support the ongoing production of original specialized research that advances scholarly conversations on important and timely issues, both historical and contemporary.”
The press will have three titles included in the first round:
Disrupting Colonial Pedagogies: Theories and Transgressions
Edited by Jillian Ford and Nathalia E. Jaramillo
Powerful and interdisciplinary, Disrupting Colonial Pedagogies challenges colonialism and its influence on education to advance freer and more just forms of knowledge making.
Graceful Resistance: How Capoeiristas Use Their Art for Activism and Community Engagement
By Lauren Miller Griffith
An innovative look at capoeira in America, Graceful Resistance reveals how the practice of an art can catalyze action and transform communities.
Lauren Miller Griffith: “With open access, capoeiristas all around the world will be able to read this book about their community of practice, something that is all the more important because the subject is social justice (which includes economic justice). Additionally, knowing that female authors tend to be cited less often and have their work assigned in classes less frequently than do male authors, I am grateful that this will likely increase other scholars’ engagement with my work and help me solidify the national/international reputation that is necessary for me to earn a promotion to full professor. I can’t overstate the importance of this development or my gratitude for being included.”
Lieder in America: On Stages and In Parlors
By Heather Platt
Though viewed as quintessentially German, lieder became a centerpiece of nineteenth century song recitals in the United States. By the 1890s, these songs, which were often sung in English, were a sensation among tutored and untutored music lovers alike.
Heather Platt: “JSTOR is a wonderful platform and both my students and I frequently use it. This platform will expose far more people to my work than any other, in part because users can easily access information within individual chapters even if they are not familiar with the book. In addition to users in the Global South, open access will bring my work to people in Eastern Europe and Australasia, where the price of subscription is insurmountable.”
Please find the full list of participating OA titles here.