University of Hawai‘i Press to Publish CHINOPERL: Journal of Chinese Oral & Performing Literature

The University of Hawai‘i Press partners with The Permanent Conference on Chinese Oral and Performing Literature for the continued publication of CHINOPERL: Journal of Chinese Oral & Performing Literature, starting with the summer 2020 issue.

An interdisciplinary journal, CHINOPERL has been published continuously since 1969 and is the only Western-language journal in its field. The interplay between orality, performance, and written traditions is a question that concerns anyone who studies China, and the journal focuses on literature connected to oral performance, either formally on stage or as a means of everyday communication. This literature ranges from proverbs to poetry, folk songs to hip-hop. 

“We are excited to work with the University of Hawai‘i Press, which has a well-deserved reputation for excellence,” said editor Margaret B. Wan. “CHINOPERL welcomes diverse contributions to Chinese performance studies. Recent issues have explored Chinese performance in diaspora, the intersection of social and cultural history, and new approaches from media studies, gender studies, religious studies, and digital humanities.”

The forthcoming issue is a special issue on Regional Language and Performance Texts in the Qing, co-edited by Margaret B. Wan and Catherine Swatek. The issue grew out of a panel at the Association of Asian Studies meeting in 2017. The new issue will also feature a newly designed cover.

“CHINOPERL’s interdisciplinary and global approach makes this title a great addition to our journals list,” said Joel Cosseboom, UH Press Interim Director and Publisher. 

CHINOPERL joins the established Asian Studies journals published by UH Press, including Azalea, Asian Theatre Journal, and China Review International, among others. 

The journal welcomes submissions on Chinese oral and performing literature, whether historical, descriptive, theoretical, or interdisciplinary in nature. Submission and subscription information can be found at uhpress.hawaii.edu/title/chp. All 38 volumes of CHINOPERL’s archive are also now available on Project MUSE (https://muse.jhu.edu/journals/chinoperl).

About Chinese Oral and Performing Literature (中國演唱文藝研究會)

CHINOPERL (chinoperl.osu.edu) is an organization that is devoted to the research, analysis, and interpretation of oral and performing traditions, broadly defined, and their relationship to China’s culture and society. Its membership consists of scholars in the humanities and the social sciences who recognize the significance of oral performance to Chinese literature and culture. CHINOPERL celebrated its 50th anniversary at the 2019 CHINOPERL Conference. CHINOPERL: Journal of Chinese Oral and Performing Literature is its official publication.