Crossings: ULAB Journal of English Studies

📢 Reminder: Call for Papers

CROSSINGS: A Journal of English Studies
(ISSN 2071-1107 | E-ISSN 2958-3179)

This is a friendly reminder that CROSSINGS: A Journal of English Studies is currently accepting original scholarly articles for Volume 17, scheduled for publication in 2026.

Crossings: A Journal of English Studies is an annual double-blind peer-reviewed journal of scholarly articles and book reviews. The articles involve, but are not limited to, issues related to language, literature, culture, and pedagogy. It is a discursive platform to critically examine human behavior and communication, and their larger role in society as well as in knowledge production.
Contributions should not have been previously published or be under consideration for publication elsewhere. Each submission undergoes a rigorous double-blind peer-review process and only those articles recommended by the reviewer will be considered for publication. Reviews may take four to six months to complete after the submission deadline.
Crossings does not accept creative writing. However, all decisions regarding final acceptance and rejection remain the prerogative of the Editorial Board.
Acceptance letters will be provided on request only after the Editorial Board’s final approval.
Submission Deadline: March 31, 2026
For submission guidelines and further details, please visit the journal’s webpage https://journals.ulab.edu.bd/index.php/crossings
https://journals.ulab.edu.bd/index.php/crossings/announcement

⏳ Submission Deadline: March 31, 2026

We warmly encourage scholars and researchers to submit their work and contribute to the upcoming volume.

''Mind the Gap: Writing Across London Spaces" a Literature and Cultural Studies Paper by Joseph Brooker, published in the Crossings: ULAB Journal of English Studies Volume 16 no.1 .

Joseph Brooker is the Professor of Modern Literature at the School of Creative Arts, Culture and Communication, Birkbeck, University Of London.

Abstract :
“Mind the gap”: the phrase is familiar on the London Underground,
as a warning to passengers boarding or leaving trains. The gap in
question is between train and platform. The London Underground
first used the phrase as a warning in 1968, earlier than any other mass transit system. As a London-specific reference to a boundary, it is germane to the theme of this essay, which will survey some of the crossings that have been made between spaces, or over thresholds, in the modern literature of London. Mundanely enough, the gap on the London Underground is such a threshold. To talk of a gap, though, might also be to emphasize the incommensurability of worlds, or the difficulty of climbing across from one to another. Gaps could be social as well as spatial distinctions.

Read the full paper
https://journals.ulab.edu.bd/index.php/crossings/article/view/713
DOI: https://doi.org/10.59817/cjes.v16i1.713

Congratulations to Professor Shamsad Mortuza on being appointed the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh (ULAB).

Submission Deadline: March 31, 2026

Call for Papers
CROSSINGS: A Journal of English Studies
(ISSN 2071-1107 | E-ISSN 2958-3179)
CROSSINGS: A Journal of English Studies invites submissions of original scholarly articles for Volume 17, scheduled for publication in 2026.
Crossings: A Journal of English Studies is an annual double-blind peer-reviewed journal of scholarly articles and book reviews. The articles involve, but are not limited to, issues related to language, literature, culture, and pedagogy. It is a discursive platform to critically examine human behavior and communication, and their larger role in society as well as in knowledge production.
Contributions should not have been previously published or be under consideration for publication elsewhere. Each submission undergoes a rigorous double-blind peer-review process and only those articles recommended by the reviewer will be considered for publication. Reviews may take four to six months to complete after the submission deadline.
Crossings does not accept creative writing. However, all decisions regarding final acceptance and rejection remain the prerogative of the Editorial Board.
Acceptance letters will be provided on request only after the Editorial Board’s final approval.
Submission Deadline: March 31, 2026
For submission guidelines and further details, please visit the journal’s webpage https://journals.ulab.edu.bd/index.php/crossings
https://journals.ulab.edu.bd/index.php/crossings/announcement

''Symbolic Representations as an Impetus to Conflict Development in Ola Rotimi’s Kurunm" a Literature and Cultural Studies Paper by Adewuyi Aremu Ayodeji, published in the Crossings: ULAB Journal of English Studies Volume 16 no.1 .

Adewuyi Aremu Ayodeji is a PhD Candidate of Department of English and Literary Studies, University of Ilorin, Nigeria.

Abstract of the article:
Specific themes and features of Ola Rotimi’s Kurunmi such as tradition, history, proverbs, characterization and generic classification have enjoyed much criticism. But little or no critical attention has been given to the exploration of symbolism in the play. Therefore, this study examines how symbolic representations of certain (Yoruba) objects and rituals contribute to the development of conflict in the play. The study adopts Northrop Frye’s mythical symbolism. The findings of the study show that three symbolic meanings of these objects and rituals contribute to the development of conflict in the play as well as reflect certain realities in modern Nigeria. These include communion for protection or victory, diplomatic support or allegiance, and coded message as a symbol of disdain. Finally, the study concludes that Ola Rotimi deploys symbols sourced from Yoruba tradition to contribute to the development of conflict in Kurunmi, to decry the prevalence of religious deceit, corruption, and conflicts in contemporary Nigeria, and recommends avoidance of rituals or messages that are symbolic of hostility or war.

Read the full paper:
https://journals.ulab.edu.bd/index.php/crossings/article/view/616
DOI: https://doi.org/10.59817/cjes.v16i1.616

"Fiction as Ethnography: Impact of Zora Neale Hurston’s Academic Training on Her Creative Work" a Literature and Cultural Studies Paper by Soonha Abro, published in the Crossings: ULAB Journal of English Studies Volume 16 no.1 .

Soonha Abro is the MPhil Candidate of Department of English, Iqra University, Gulshan Campus, Karachi, Pakistan.

Abstract of the article:
This paper explores how Zora Neale Hurston’s training as an ethnographer impacted her creative work as a fiction writer. It achieves its stated objective by first theorizing upon the topic by juxtaposing Hurston’s ethnographic career and research work with those of two women ethnographers, Cuba’s Lydia Cabrera and Poland’s Anzia Yezierska, to illustrate how Hurston utilized her academic training and inside knowledge of her community to develop special methodologies uniquely designed to address her specific challenges in conducting ethnographic research on Black American minority culture. Next, the paper theorizes Hurston’s use of various ethnographic details, such as religious imagery derived from local spiritual and cultural practices, as well as feminist Biblical revisionism. Two short stories by Hurston, “Sweat” and “The Gilded Six-Bits,” are thoroughly analyzed for their aspects of material culture (specifically religious symbolism and money), representation of women’s economic empowerment, and depiction of marriage. The paper concludes that Hurston’s earliest work was more likely to have benefited from her recollections and experiences of her native Black American culture as compared to her later work, which included richer ethnographic details.

Read the full paper
https://journals.ulab.edu.bd/index.php/crossings/article/view/712
DOI: https://doi.org/10.59817/cjes.v16i1.712

"Father Tongues, Mother Tongues, and Other Tongues" an Occasional Paper by Professor Niaz Zaman , published in the Crossings: ULAB Journal of English Studies Volume 16 no.1 .

Niaz Zaman, who retired as Professor of English, University of Dhaka, is at present Advisor, Department of English and Modern Languages, Independent University, Bangladesh (IUB). Her study of Partition novels, titled A Divided Legacy: The Partition in Selected Novels of India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh, received the National Archives Award as well as an award from the Asiatic Society of Bangladesh. She has edited several short story anthologies including The Escape and Other Stories of 1947 and 1971 and After. She is also co-editor of Fault Lines: Stories of 1971. Dr Zaman was a consulting editor for Banglapedia and literary editor of New Age. For her contribution to translation, she received the Bangla Academy Award for Translation in 2016. Her other awards include the Anannya Award for Literature (2013) and the Lekhika Sangha Award for Literature (2015). From 1981 to 1983, Dr Zaman was Educational Attaché at the Bangladesh Embassy in Washington D. C.
Professor Niaz Zaman has been awarded the prestigious Ekushey Padak 2025 for her outstanding contributions to the field of education and literary studies. Dr. Muhammad Yunus, Chief Advisor to the Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, presented the Ekushey Padak 2025 to Prof. Zaman on February 20, 2025, at the Osmani Memorial Auditorium in Dhaka.

Abstract:
A considerable amount of translation is done in Bangladesh, functional and literary, from English – and other languages – to Bangla – and from Bangla to English – and other languages. Most translations in other parts of the world are from another language to the speaker’s own language, from another tongue to the mother tongue. In Bangladesh – as well as in other parts of the sub-continent – translations from the mother tongue to English are common. In addition, there is a lot of translation into Bangla from “other tongues,” languages which one has not learned. These translations are almost always via another translation, generally an English one. What are the problems related to this sort of translation? The paper discusses the issues which crop up in
these situations and attempts to suggest solutions.

Read the full article
https://journals.ulab.edu.bd/index.php/crossings/article/view/711
DOI: https://doi.org/10.59817/cjes.v16i1.711

"Some Brief Reflections on the Function of Myth in Agha Shahid Ali’s The Country Without A Post Office" an Occasional Paper by Ian Almond , published in the Crossings: ULAB Journal of English Studies Volume 16 no.1 .

Ian Almond is Professor of World Literature at Georgetown University in Qatar. He specializes in comparative world literature, with a tri-continental emphasis on Mexico, Bengal, and Turkey, and his research examines the relationship between religion and literature.

Abstract of the article:
It is almost thirty years since the publication of The Country Without A Post Office (henceforth Country), years which (sadly) have done little to make the violence and suffering Shahid Ali depicts in the book outdated or historical. The most recent violence brings an undesirable relevance to poetry which many people would prefer to date historically. Earlier this year – and in the wake of the bombing of Gaza – I watched Elia Suleiman’s The Time That Remains (2009), and felt the similar, uncomfortable sensation of watching art act out and comment upon a series of injustices it factually pre-dated.

Read the full article:
https://journals.ulab.edu.bd/index.php/crossings/article/view/710
DOI: https://doi.org/10.59817/cjes.v16i1.710

✨ Happy New Year 2026! ✨

As we step into a new year, CROSSINGS: A Journal of English Studies extends its sincere gratitude to our contributors, reviewers, editors, and readers for their invaluable support and scholarly engagement.

May 2026 bring renewed inspiration, meaningful research, and enriching academic conversations. We look forward to another year of insightful publications and global collaboration.

We are delighted to share the publication of
📘 Crossings – Volume 16
Your next essential academic read is here.
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https://journals.ulab.edu.bd/index.php/crossings/issue/view/vol16

The Crossings Article Index is updated for our readers' research convenience. Check out the articles by category!

Article Index | Crossings: A Journal of English Studies