Calling All Gulfie Kids!
What little literature is available about the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) tends to stereotype the harsh working conditions of migrant laborers, such as construction workers or house maids, and while these are realities that require immediate examination for their social-ethical urgency alone, what are often left out are the experiences of middle class itinerancy and upward social mobility that living in the Gulf makes possible. The Gulf is a transient place where fresh blood is forever flooding in and slipping out and yet, for newcomers, the leap from migrant to citizen is never made. You are likely to move and keep moving.
Rather than being divided in the classic diasporic model, caught between two distinct cultures and equally marginalized in each, the GCC countries have birthed an entire generation of third-culture kids with roaming lifestyles. The Common’s Fall 2021 Gulf portfolio will examine these themes of millennial nomadism, civic detachment, pliable identities, and other themes, as made possible by the Gulf. While this issue will focus on migrants to the region, we are also accepting pieces that speak to local and indigenous perspectives. All submissions will be considered both for the special portfolio and for the magazine more broadly.*
If this speaks to you, speak to us! We’re looking for fiction, poetry, and essays in English. Submit here from July 1–November 30, 2020.
In collaboration with guest co-editor Noor Naga.
*If you are interested in Arabic literature in translation from the MENA region, we urge you to peruse our country-specific portfolios published every spring.
