The Editorial Board of Acta ''Academiae Artium Vilnensis'' invites submissions of scholarly articles for the peer-reviewed thematic issue “Faces of Childhood: Representations and Experiences in Art and Society.”

The first, exceptional, and foundational stage of human life has attracted the attention of thinkers, artists, and creators since the ancient times. Discussed in Antiquity, not forgotten in the Middle Ages, flourishing in the Renaissance, transformed in the Baroque, and gaining new prominence during the Enlightenment and Romanticism, childhood became firmly established in the 20th century within the emerging Western disciplines of social history and art history. Today, childhood is recognized as a complex yet precisely for that reason particularly intriguing interdisciplinary field of research, uniquely reflecting broader social transformations.

Lithuania, too, has responded to these shifts. Although certain fragmented signs of scholarly interest in childhood appeared in the second half of the 20th century, the last three decades of the 21st century may be regarded as the most active period of its development. Childhood has become a significant subject of inquiry for historians of various periods, art historians, philosophers, educators, sociologists, psychologists, and other scholars. This growing attention has resulted in substantial academic output, as well as a number of conferences and exhibitions devoted to diverse aspects of childhood.

The forthcoming volume seeks to respond to this “revival of childhood.” Although ''Acta Academiae Artium Vilnensis'' primarily publishes research in visual culture, the multifaceted and multilayered subject chosen for this issue—childhood—calls for expanding these boundaries. The thematic issue aims to open an interdisciplinary discussion on how childhood has been represented and reflected from the past to the present in art, literature, philosophy, education, history, sociology, and other fields within the humanities and social sciences, both in Lithuania and internationally.

An international perspective is especially encouraged. Contributions by scholars from abroad are seen as an important catalyst for academic dialogue, situating Lithuanian childhood studies within the broader global context of research in this field.

Suggested (but not limiting) thematic areas:
- Images of childhood in secular and religious art from antiquity to the present
- Representations of childhood in literature, theatre, cinema, photography, and other media
- Childhood as a social construct: historical, political, and ideological transformations
- Childhood trauma and memory in culture
- Childhood in educational thought and pedagogical practices
- Methodological and theoretical issues in childhood studies

Submission Guidelines and Important Information:

By 26 May 2026, please submit the following materials in Lithuanian or English to joana.vitkutevda.lt:
- Proposed article title and abstract (up to 1,200 characters including spaces)
- Author biography (up to 100 words per author)
Applicants will be informed about the selection results by 15 June 2026.

Upon acceptance of the proposal, full articles (including illustrations) must be submitted by 1 December 2026, prepared in accordance with the journal’s author guidelines:
https://aaav.vda.lt/journal/information/authors

All submitted research articles will undergo double peer review.

The publication of this volume of ''Acta Academiae Artium Vilnensis'' is scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2027.

--

Acta Academiae Artium Vilnensis (AAAV; https://aaav.vda.lt/journal/index) is a scholarly periodical published since 1993. It features original research articles and reviews, critiques of art-historical publications, primary sources in art history, and other materials relevant to art research. Peer-reviewed articles are published in Lithuanian and English, and exceptionally in other languages.

All articles are indexed in DOAJ, EBSCO Publishing (Academic Search Complete, Academic Search Premier, Art & Architecture Complete, Humanities International Complete, Humanities International Index), ERIH PLUS, Google Scholar, Lituanistica, and SCOPUS.

The journal is funded by the Research Council of Lithuania under the programme “State Programme for Lithuanian Studies and Dissemination 2016–2024” (Project No. S-LIP-19-25).
Project leader: Dr Aušra Trakšelytė (ausra.trakselytevda.lt).