under contract with the University Press of Mississippi; co-edited with KC Hysmith

An American Girl Anthology 

This anthology, under contract with the University Press of Mississippi, hopes to turn American Girl dolls – and the ever-growing ecosystem surrounding them – inside out. We intend to explore the Pleasant Company (American Girl’s parent corporation), nostalgia, and the social and cultural impact the dolls and broader American Girl universe continue to have for generations of American consumers through thoughtful essays from contributors across multiple disciplines and with different research areas.

This collection has several objectives. It serves as an ode to the democratizing power of the internet and the intoxicating power of nostalgia, while also looking toward the future as the eldest American Girl fans become parents themselves. It is a critical account of the ways in which American Girl has shaped senses of self-worth and hopes for the future, securing a base of lifelong consumers, and also a love letter to the kids we collectively used to be. Along the way, we hope readers will take seriously American Girl’s influence and place within larger cultural conversations. They will find essays focusing on topics as diverse as food and historical recipes in American Girl publications, the advent of “tag yourself” memes, the struggle to find authentic and long-lasting Asian-American representation within the pages of the American Girl catalog, and the enduring power of The Care and Keeping of You as a resource. While the contributions we hope to solicit will be decidedly academic in nature, the volume aims to be accessible to a broad range of interested readers. 

Other topics of potential chapters include a re-visitation of the original lineup of dolls, a deep-dive into American Girl party culture, Rebecca Rubin and Jewish American representation, “Girl of the Year” campaigns and the pitfalls of modernization, American Girl doll stores and cafes as a site of internet influence, self-expression and mythologizing through adult collecting and play, and “American Girl for All,” the company's ongoing trans-inclusive outreach. 

Areas of interest for this anthology include, but are not limited to, the following topics:

• The original lineup, revisited

• AGD Party Culture

• “Girl of the Year” and the pitfalls of keeping pace with the times

• AGD Stores (Consumerism/Consumption)

• AGD, gender, and sexualities

• Material Culture

• Public-facing history and education

DEADLINE: Accepting rolling submissions (pitches are fine!) now. Anticipated deadline for full drafts: September 1, 2023

CONTACT: anamericangirlanthology@gmail.com

ABOUT THE EDITORS: 

Justine Orlovsky-Schnitzler is a folklorist and writer who earned her MA in Folklore from UNC-Chapel Hill in 2021. She is a staff writer at Lilith Magazine and her thesis research will be featured in the upcoming inaugural issue of the journal of Jewish Folklore and Ethnology from Wayne State University Press. Other bylines include Southern Cultures, the Bitter Southerner, and the New York Times. She presented “American Girl, the Business of Self-Expression, and the Future of Nostalgia” at the American Folklore Society Annual Meeting in October 2021 with the support of a jointly-awarded scholarship from the Independent and Women’s Folklorists sections.

Dr. KC Hysmith is a food scholar and writer who earned her PhD in American Studies from UNC-Chapel Hill and her MLA in Gastronomy from Boston University. She is the associate editor of Edible North Carolina: A Journey Across a State of Flavor (UNC Press 2022). Other bylines include Gastronomica, Food52, The Boston Globe, and Southern Cultures. She is also the social media director for the Museum of Food and Drink in New York City.