Paper Submission

The study of colour has historically received limited attention within academic discourse, often existing on the periphery of established research fields. However, recent years have witnessed a notable increase in interest, accompanied by a growing recognition of the field’s significance. This heightened focus is reflected in the flourishing body of research and increasing efforts to historicize and expand our understanding of colour studies.

Colour Turn, an interdisciplinary open-access journal based at Eberhard Karls University Tübingen, Germany, is at the forefront of this movement. Under the editorship of Prof. Dr. Susanne Marschall, together with Dr. Elena Mucciarelli and Prof. Dr. Robert Horres, we have assembled a dedicated team committed to advancing scholarly discourse on colour. Through a rigorous double-blind peer-review process, Colour Turn ensures both the quality and timely publication of research, with accepted papers typically published within four months—setting us apart from the longer timelines of traditional academic publishing.

We welcome contributions from across the spectrum of colour research, including humanities, natural sciences, and interdisciplinary approaches. Colour Turn is particularly interested in submissions that push the boundaries of conventional perspectives, fostering innovative and transformative dialogues in the field.

Colour Turn welcomes contributions that reflect the broad and interdisciplinary scope of colour research, encompassing a variety of fields and perspectives. Bridging the humanities, natural sciences, and creative disciplines, the journal encourages contributions that explore the foundational concepts, definitions, and methodologies of colour studies while addressing its varied roles in perception, culture, and technology. The cognitive and emotional impact of colour is a significant area of focus, encompassing topics such as how the brain represents colour, crossmodal phenomena like synaesthesia, the evolution of colour perception across the lifespan, and the associations between colour, language, memory, and imagination. Equally, the journal investigates colour in the natural world, from its evolutionary roles in animal vision, camouflage, and communication to the physical principles underlying structural colours and natural pigments.

The interplay between colour and technology is another vital area, tracing historical developments in colour reproduction and the industrialization of synthetic pigmentswhile exploring modern innovations like digital displays, artificial intelligence, and their applications in fields such as fashion and design. Colour as a tool of communication and cultural expression is also central, whether in visual systems like traffic signals, educational tools, or as a means to challenge societal issues like sexism and racism. In addition, Colour Turn explores the aesthetic and expressive dimensions of colour in art and media, including its historical materiality, use in photography and cinema, and transformative role in digital technologies. Lastly, the journal examines the social and cultural significance of colour, analysing its influence in shaping identities, countercultures, and global aesthetics while uncovering its role in intercultural exchange and economic practices.

By engaging with these diverse perspectives, Colour Turn aims to establish itself as a critical platform for interdisciplinary dialogue and innovation in colour research.

For more insights into our research areas, please visit the dedicated page on our website.

Deadline for Abstracts: Tuesday, July 1.

Colour represents a complex and fundamental component in the ritual life of individuals and communities all over the world and across time. We see it in the different hues and tones used to mark spiritual and devotional practices, in the colour-coding patterns that social groups constantly redefine to re-claim, challenge, and modify their identities. From the ritual performance of carnival to the aesthetics of everyday worship, colour acts as a conduit of embodiment and meaning.

Starting from the material and symbolic value of colour, this special issue wants to look at the intersection of ritual and colour as strategies for mobilising religious, cultural and epistemic capital. 

We welcome original research articles dealing with different ritual knowledge systems and the way in which colour have been understood, represented, and experienced, as well as contributions on the agency of colour within individual religious practices, ceremonies, and festivals both in contemporary and historical contexts. Articles can utilize a wide range of theoretical frameworks and examine all kinds of religious phenomena, including, but not limited to, texts, practices, cosmologies, iconography, and much more.

Please send a 250-word abstract to submission[at]colourturn.net by Tuesday, July 1. Please be sure to include your name, contact details, and the title of the paper in your abstract.

The journal publishes research papers, essays and academic reviews in eight key investigative domains: Colour in Interdisciplinary Context, Colour and the Mind, Colour and Nature, Colour and Technology, Colour and Communication, Colour in Art and Media, Colour in Culture and Society and Reviews.

We currently accept articles on all topics relating to colour research.

Before submitting your abtratct or paper, please read our submission guidelines below.  

Send in your submissions and questions at:

submission[at]colourturn.net

The language of the Colour Turn journal is standard British English. Please see our stylesheet for detailed submission guidelines. Below you can see a summary of our recommended format for manuscript submission:

• Title of the paper (Max. 20 words)
• Author(s) name(s), Affiliations and Contact informations (i.e. e-mail)
• Abstract (Approx. 200-250 words)
• Keywords
• Main text (Min. 3500 words)
• Acknowledgments
• Referencing in footnote and bibliography following Chicago Manual – Notes and Bibliography Style (Only sources cited in the footnotes or text should be included in the bibliography)
• The journal prefers British English. (Please check spelling and punctuation according to Oxford dictionary)
• Images, figures, tables, and graphs should all be labeled as figures and numbered consecutively without any gaps. Captions should have title, author or creator, and date of publication. (*It is the author’s responsibility to acquire copyright permission for any item used in the articles. Please provide a table of figures at the end of the article with references to the sources)