Reflections of a Guest Editor

What Does It Take to Publish a Special Issue with JASO?

Abstract

This reflective piece examines the process of being a guest editor and the collaborative journey of curating the JASO special issue, "Uncertainty and Survivance: What Remains After the Crisis" (Volume XV, 2023). It traces the intellectual and practical steps involved in shaping the issue’s theme, which draws on the concept of survivance from Critical Native American Studies to explore endurance, creativity, and agency amid crisis. By documenting both the editorial process and the theoretical experiment, the piece highlights how anthropology can expand its boundaries while confronting uncertainty, systemic disruption, and the ongoing challenge of affirming life in the face of adversity.