***Apologies for cross-posting***
Dear all,
Here is a brief update regarding the Call for Papers for a Special Issue of Business & Society on Collective Actorhood & Organizationality (full paper submission deadline: Sept. 30, 2026):
- Should you be interested in a potential submission to the Special Issue, sign up soon for the virtual Meet-the-Editors workshop (via Zoom) on Oct 7, 2025, 2.00-3.00pm CEST (Copenhagen time) via brief email to Dennis Schoeneborn (ds.msc@cbs.dk; please do so by Oct. 3, 2025 at the latest)
- Meanwhile, we have uploaded a trilingual version of the Call for Papers (in English/Spanish/French) to the Business & Society website; you can find it here:
https://journals.sagepub.com/pb-assets/PDF/B&S%20SI%20call%20for%20papers%20Actorhood_trilingual_UPDATED-1758078884.pdf
- The updated/trilingual Call also newly includes the date of the Pre-Submission Workshop (via Zoom) that will take place Feb. 25, 2026, 2.00-4.00pm CET (Copenhagen time); to apply for participation in the workshop, please send a short paper (3,000 words max.) via email to Dennis Schoeneborn (ds.msc@cbs.dk by Jan. 31, 2026 at the latest)
With kind regards, also on behalf of my co-editors, Dennis
.........
PS: Please find here also the initial announcement...
Call for Papers: Special Issue of Business & Society
Collective actorhood and organizationality:
Recalibrating responsibility in business-society relations
Guest Editors: Dennis Schoeneborn, Héloïse Berkowitz, Leonhard Dobusch,
Consuelo Vásquez, and Frank de Bakker; Consulting Editor: Devi Vijay; B&S Editor: Colin Higgins
Submission deadline: Sept. 30, 2026
In an age of climate crisis, digital disruption, and widening inequalities, the boundaries between business and society are being radically redrawn, raising questions critical for tackling today's grand societal challenges: How can groups, coalitions, and loosely organized entities operate as responsible collective actors? On the flip side, how can collective actors that transcend organizational boundaries be held accountable?
In this Call for Papers for a Special Issue at Business & Society, we call for research that reconsiders the business-society relationship by giving up the clear-cut separation between "the" organization as a distinct entity and society that surrounds it. We specifically encourage contributions that build on gradual theories of organization, such as partial organization (Ahrne & Brunsson, 2011) or organizationality (Dobusch & Schoeneborn, 2015), to critically examine how collective actorhood is constituted, performed, avoided, or denied. From platform companies disavowing responsibility to grassroots collectives organizing without traditional hierarchies, this issue seeks to illuminate the shifting dynamics of business-society relations in both privileged and marginalized contexts.
Please check out the full version of the Special Issue Call for Papers here: https://journals.sagepub.com/pb-assets/PDF/SI%20call%20for%20papers%20Actorhood-1754390917.pdf
For interested authors, we will host two virtual workshops (via Zoom): (1) Meet-the-Editors Session (Fall 2025) and (2) Pre-Submission Workshop (Spring 2026).
(1) The Virtual Meet-the-Editors Session will take place on Oct. 7, 2025, 2.00-3.00pm (CEST). To register for the session, please send an email to corresponding guest editor Dennis Schoeneborn (ds.msc@cbs.dk) by Oct. 3, 2025 at the latest. The session allows for questions regarding the idea of the Special Issue and clarification regarding fit, submission process, etc.
(2) In spring 2026 (exact date: TBA), we will host a Virtual Pre-Submission Workshop that is designed to provide developmental guidance to prospective submissions. Participation in this workshop is not a precondition for submission to, nor does it guarantee acceptance in, the Special Issue. The workshop will feature virtual paper development roundtables that bring together paper authors with senior scholars for in-depth feedback and advice. To be considered for the workshop, please send a proposal or extended abstract (up to 3,000 words) to guest editor Dennis Schoeneborn (ds.msc@cbs.dk) by Jan. 31, 2026 at the latest.
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Dennis Schoeneborn
Professor
Copenhagen Business School
Frederiksberg
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