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Launched in January 2007, IJŽS is a peer-reviewed, open access academic journal. As its title unambiguously proclaims, it is devoted to the [[work ]] of [[Slavoj Žižek]], a Slovenian [[philosopher]]/cultural theorist. Despite such predictably caricatured [[media ]] portrayals as "the Elvis of [[cultural ]] [[theory]]" and "the [[Marx ]] brother", Žižek has attracted enormous international interest through his application of otherwise esoteric scholarship to contemporary mass [[culture ]] and [[politics]].

With a [[desire ]] to avoid "how many Žižeks can dance on the head of a pin?" types of debate, and mere hagiography, IJŽS aims to provide a valuable resource for those interested in his inimitable brand of critical [[thought]]. Just one small indication of Žižek's wide appeal is [[apparent ]] from the diverse [[nature ]] of IJŽS’s Editorial Board and the Journal will be devoted to engaging with the substantive and provocative implications Žižek’s work has for a range of academic disciplines.

For some, the [[notion ]] of a journal devoted to the work of a theorist very much alive and intellectually kicking is discombobulating. That [[death ]] should be a prerequisite for sustained scholarly interrogation of a patently substantial [[body ]] of work, however, is perhaps stranger still. In an interview with one of the many journalists interested in packaging Žižek for mass consumption, Tony Brown of the Editorial Board has pointed out that:

<blockquote>Žižek is alive, which allows him to answer back. [[Derrida ]] once claimed that [[people ]] treated him as though he were [[dead ]] before he actually died, since they were too ready to sum up the import of his work. Žižek always resists such encapsulations of his work and forces us to carry on [[thinking]]. He readily challenges people trying to sum him up. Hence his [[presence ]] on the Board of the journal is unsettling rather than anything else - unsettling in a positive way. Anyone who tried to pin him down would be beating him up, intellectually [[speaking]]. Since Žižek is very alive he is able to kick back, interrupt encapsulations, celebrations, as well as criticisms.</blockquote>

Žižek thus defies easy categorisation but the importance of his contribution to contemporary cultural theory is clear. The fact that his success is largely built upon a consistent examination of [[ideology ]] forcefully belies claims that we now live in post-[[ideological ]] [[times]]. Moreover, his seemingly irrepressible urge and inexhaustible ability to articulate theory at length, in depth, and with manifold entertaining examples, offers significant hope for those seeking respite from the cultural tinnitus of pervasive soundbites.

The International Journal of Žižek Studies (IJŽS) is an online, peer-reviewed academic journal devoted to investigating, elaborating, and critiquing the work of Slavoj Žižek. IJŽS is an interdisciplinary journal that is open and welcoming to diverse approaches, methodologies, [[interpretations]], and [[language ]] of composition.

In its first Issue, IJŽS presents a [[number ]] of 'Why Žižek?' papers from Board members in [[order ]] to provide firsthand accounts of Žižek's [[significance ]] to scholarship. Thereafter, although we invite proposals for guest-edited Special Issues, we welcome articles on any aspect of Žižek's work. IJŽS has no predisposition for specific interpretations of Žižek or the thinkers he interprets.

To utilize the medium-specific qualities of the Web, IJŽS has no pre-set publication dates. Papers will be accepted after peer review into a rolling programme of publication with the expectation of one Volume per [[calendar ]] year and a variable number of issues per volume depending upon the number and quality of submissions received. This online publication schedule avoids needlessly imitating the limitations of paper-based publications whilst retaining the [[value ]] of its tried and tested peer review [[process]]. The aim is for a journal with high standards but one that also has maximum flexibility and responsiveness to topical issues.

IJŽS adheres to a policy of blind, peer-review. In order to ensure appropriate review, [[author ]] [[name]](s) should appear only on the title page, references to any author's prior work should be masked, and [[internal ]] identifications in the [[text ]] should be avoided. Manuscripts that have already appeared in any [[other ]] published [[form ]] or are under review at any other journal cannot be considered.

IJŽS welcomes book reviews (1,000-2,000 [[words]]) and review articles (2,000-3,000 words) relating either directly to Žižek or to closely related themes/writers. We also welcome responses from the authors of works previously reviewed in IJŽS. Please contact the Editorial Office if [[help ]] is needed obtaining review copies.

IJŽS invites translations of any of its own [[content]], previously untranslated work by Žižek, or previously untranslated commentaries and reviews of Žižek's articles, book chapters, or other publications. If you are interested in preparing a [[translation ]] for IJŽS, please contact the editor to coordinate activities.

IJŽS will occasionally publish interviews with and [[about ]] Slavoj Žižek. Readers interested in contributing [[material ]] to this section should contact the General Editor.

This section is used for provding announcements of interest to the readers of the journal and for issuing calls for participants interested in contributing to [[future ]] issues.

This journal provides immediate open access to its content on the [[principle ]] that making research freely available to the [[public ]] supports a greater [[global ]] [[exchange ]] of [[knowledge]].

Purely in a spirit of fun* and in keeping with Žižek's own irreverent style, we have created a range of IJŽS-themed [[objects ]] that can be purchased online (the size chart provides a [[choice ]] of fits for clothing). They are all sold at the minimum cost price quoted by the specialist customizing site which handles all purchasing and delivery issues. Currently, this customizing site is USA-based, but for Europeans, a UK-based version is due online shortly. We would like to emphasize that there is *no profit whatsoever* made by IJŽS on any sales.