We and Comparative Literature

The Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies in Literature, Art, and the Humanities is now five years old. During this time, we have published ten issues and 144 articles. This is a specialized journal of comparative literature, meaning that it has a specific definition for comparative literature and accepts articles only in that field. Our definition is clear: first, comparative literature is not “comparative” as is commonly understood (Anushiravani 2010, 2014). Second, comparative literature is, on the one hand, the study of connections between the literatures of nations from different cultures and languages, and, on the other hand, the study of relationships between literature, art, and sciences (Remak 1968).With this definition, our mission in the journal is straightforward. We are not looking for obvious, outdated, and repetitive influence and similarity studies, nor for Eurocentric comparative literature. The time for both trends has already expired. We see literature as a global phenomenon that knows no boundaries and seeks to explore literary and cultural connections and to understand and recognize the other. We believe that recognizing the other, without any pre-judgement or prejudice, leads to cultural interaction and respect, and ultimately to peace, friendship, and coexistence (Wellek 1958; Jost 1979). In today's complex and interconnected world, all sciences are interconnected in such a way that it is not possible to understand one without the other. Issues such as the environment, migration, economics, agriculture, politics, security, health and hygiene, and literature cannot be properly assessed individually and separately from other sciences. Knowledge management has been based on interdisciplinary studies in the last two centuries. From medical sciences to technical, experimental, and human sciences, all can be analyzed accurately with an interdisciplinary perspective and teamwork (Anushiravani 2013; 2013).