Call for Papers "Nature and Ecological Justice: Debates and Perspectives Beyond Anthropocentrism"

Volume 16, Number 2, July-December 2026

Sílex invites the intellectual and academic community to submit articles for the dossier “Nature and Ecological Justice: Debates and Perspectives Beyond Anthropocentrism.” The dossier aims to gather research and essays with high impact potential that, from critical approaches characteristic of the humanities and social sciences, analyze the recognition of Nature¹ as a subject of rights and the transformations, disputes, and uncertainties that this shift entails in contemporary understandings of the relationships between human beings, non-humans, and Nature. An up-to-date analysis is sought on the ontological, political, institutional, and power configurations that cross those relationships.

In recent decades, the idea that ecosystems possess intrinsic value and can hold rights has gained relevance in academic, social, and political debates across the agendas of both the Global North and the Global South. These discussions have taken shape in legal processes, collective practices, public disputes, and social mobilizations, and have also been translated into various regulatory frameworks—such as constitutions, ordinances, and court rulings—in heterogeneous and often controversial ways. Taken together, these processes have reignited fundamental debates about sustainable development, democracy, environmental governance, and ecocentrism, grounded in an understanding of humanity’s relationship with Nature that stands in stark contrast to the anthropocentrism of Modernity².

Far from constituting a homogeneous approach, the rights of Nature are shaped in situated and heuristic ways, giving rise to multiple interpretations, specific political disputes, institutional appropriations, and diverse forms of articulation among territories, the State, social actors, and non-human beings or “Earth-beings” who fully participate in contemporary public life. Taking the above as a political horizon also invites us to recognize the agency—or capacity for action—of non-human actors that constitute the networks of interdependence known as collectives or communities³. Within this framework, the dossier is conceived as a space for critical, interdisciplinary, and comparative analysis of experiences, discourses, and practices related to the rights of Nature in different regions of the world, with particular attention to their social, cultural, political, and legal implications. 

Contributions are invited —theoretical, empirical, comparative, or essayistic— that, from approaches typical of the humanities and social sciences, rigorously and originally address some of the following themes, which are not mutually exclusive:

• Theoretical, philosophical, ethical, and aesthetic foundations of “rights of Nature” and their links to contemporary debates on political philosophy and justice, including environmental and ecological justice.
• Imaginaries, narratives, and cultural representations of Nature as a rights-bearing subject in different societal, historical, and cultural contexts.
• Legal and political approaches on legal pluralism, political constitutions, regional and global jurisprudence, institutional disputes, and socio-legal and political analyses of forms of territorial governance.
• Indigenous and local knowledge on common goods, and socio-environmental conflicts analyzed from anthropological, historical, and socio-political perspectives, in relation to extractivism and the defense of territories.
• Critical debates on the scope and limits of the notion of “rights of Nature” in local, national, and global contexts.

SUBMITTING YOUR MANUSCRIPTS

To ensure proper submission, authors are advised to consult the Author guidelines and Editorial guidelines stated on Sílex Journal website before submitting their manuscripts.

Sílex uses the OJS plataform for online submision and peer review process under the double-blind scheme.  All manuscripts must be submited exclusively through this plataform by registering in the following link: https://revistas.uarm.edu.pe/index.php/silex/about/submissions. Any other means will not be accepted. 

Queries can be directed to the following email: revista.silex@uarm.pe

IMPORTANT DATES

• Opening date for manuscript submissions: February 1st, 2026
• Closing date for manuscript submissions: June 30th, 2026

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¹ The use of the word “Nature” in uppercase follows the logic of the UN program Harmony with Nature, highlighting the importance of and commitment to its conservation, regeneration, and protection. Writing it in uppercase also underscores its relevance within the UN’s global agenda.

²  Hernández, G., & Laats, H. (2021, January 8). Buen vivir: An emerging concept in Europe? Green European Journal. https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/buen-vivir-a-concept-on-the-rise-in-europe/ 

³  Latour, B. (2005). Reassembling the social: An introduction to actor-network-theory. Oxford University Press.