Plenitude: Values for a Journal That Speaks to Language, Literature, and Culture Studies

ABSTRACT This is a ‘research editorial.’ It expounds the curatorial values that inform editing decisions for the Journal of Language Literature and Culture in 2020, setting them in a context of current scholarly debates and culture. Its main contribution to knowledge is also the JLLC’s main contribution: to embody the active recognition of the importance of a plenary function for journals such as this one. The article frames scholarly practices as balancing a value or ethos of plenitude against the alternative norms of scholarly specialisation, where each function is critical to the viability of the whole. Within that balance, a journal such as JLLC is needed for its capacity to convene scholarly discussions that span the fields of Language, Literature, and Culture. It underscores the importance for our diverse scholarly community of taking an interest in each other’s work, publishing articles that are framed generously, to reach out to readers who are curious beyond an author’s specialised field.