Call for Submissions
The Science and Politics of False Memories
A Special Issue of the Journal of Trauma & Dissociation
Special Issue Guest Editors: Michael Salter, PhD & Ruth Blizard, PhD
Email for Guest Editors: jtd.falsememory@gmail.com

This special issue reflects on the dissolution of the False Memory Syndrome Foundation (FMSF) on December 31st 2019. Launched in 1992, the FMSF was a group that advocated for parents accused of child abuse. They claimed that society was experiencing an epidemic of “false memory syndrome” in which adults were afflicted by vivid memories of childhood abuse that had never occurred. Although this professed syndrome was never accepted as a valid diagnosis, the FMSF had significant influence on research, law and public opinion.

This special issue is focused on the contemporary state of knowledge of traumatic amnesia, and the legacy of the activism of the self-styled false memory movement. While the FMSF has dissolved, research on generating false memories continues, and the concept of false memory is still used to discredit the legal testimony of trauma survivors. The targets of such legal challenges have expanded from survivors of childhood sexual abuse to include adult victims of sexual assault, survivors of war crimes, and First Nations peoples reporting abuse by colonial powers.

The co-editors of this special issue invite papers that address the science of traumatic amnesia, as well as the social and political conflicts that have influenced debate over traumatic amnesia. The papers may include original research, rigorously conducted reviews and theoretically innovative analyses. All submissions will be subject to expert scrutiny via a thorough peer review process.

Topics to be explored include, but are not limited to:

• The history of scientific debate over the veracity of traumatic memory
• Ethical issues in research on traumatic memory,
• The social, legal and clinical status of eye-witness accounts regarding child abuse and sexual violence,
• The social and contextual influences of families, communities and the media on the recall and disclosure of traumatic experiences,
• Reviews of dominant research methodologies in false memory research and their generalizability,
• Case studies of verifiably false memories of abuse or, conversely, reports of corroborated abuse, and
• Future directions in research and clinical practice in relation to child abuse, memory and the law.

It is recommended that authors send a proposed title and abstract to the editors for discussion. Complete submissions of no more than 5500 words should be sent to the co-editors by April 1, 2021. All correspondence should be sent to jtd.falsememory@gmail.com.

Please email submissions directly to the co-editors:  jtd.falsememory@gmail.com

Deadline: 1 April 2021

All submitted manuscripts that meet the requirements for this special issue will undergo peer review. Final selection of manuscripts will be based on relevance and potential impact, methodological rigor, scientific and/or clinical value, implications for application, and available space. Final acceptance will be based on approval by the special issue guest editors and the editor-in-chief of the Journal of Trauma and Dissociation. 

See the Journal of Trauma and Dissociation website for more information about the submission requirements.

Manuscripts should be 1500-5500 words. For more instructions, see Submission Instructions for Authors here.

Authors are welcome (but not required) to submit abstracts for feedback regarding appropriateness for this issue to jtd.falsememory@gmail.com

Interested in peer reviewing for this special issue? Email us at jtd.falsememory@gmail.com

For more information about the Journal of Trauma & Dissociation, click here.