Submission Reminder ISBJ Special Issue: Pluralizing the 'Social' in Social Entrepreneurship
Dear Colleagues,
This is a friendly reminder that the submission window for our special issue opens in about two weeks (18th of October 2025), with the final deadline approaching on November 1, 2025.
🎯 Why This SI Matters
We're challenging the field to bring the 'social' back into social entrepreneurship-moving beyond Western-centric assumptions toward reflexive, contextual approaches that acknowledge how 'social' is defined across diverse geographies, cultures, and communities.
📝 What We're Looking For
Empirical or conceptual contributions addressing:
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Geographical & Cultural Context: How do non-Western and indigenous settings shape understandings of 'social'?
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Theoretical Perspectives: What analytical frameworks reveal different dimensions of 'social'?
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Level of Analysis: How does 'social' shift across entrepreneurs, beneficiaries, and communities?
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Embeddedness & Impact: How do shared understandings affect social value creation and measurement?
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Scholarly Reflexivity: How do our own normative foundations shape what we study?
💡 Example Research Questions
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How do beneficiaries' interpretations of 'social value' differ from entrepreneurs across contexts?
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What participatory methods ensure alignment between entrepreneurs and communities?
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How do misalignments between researchers, practitioners, and beneficiaries lead to negative outcomes?
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How do communities of practice define 'social' within their lived realities?
📅 Key Dates
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Submission Window Opens: ~October 18, 2025 (2 weeks from now)
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Submission Deadline: November 1, 2025
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Publication: May 2027
📤 How to Submit
Submit via the ISBJ online system at http://isb.sagepub.com/
Important: Select Manuscript Type: "Special Issue: Pluralizing the 'Social' in Social Entrepreneurship: Towards Contextual and Reflexive Approaches"
Guest Editors:
Sönke Mestwerdt (University of Manchester, UK)
Jill Kickul (EGADE Business School, México)
Diana Hechavarria (Babson College, USA)
Benson Honig (McMaster University, Canada)
Maija Renko (Aalto University, Finland)
Alisa Sydow (ESCP Business School, UK)
Felipe Symmes (EGADE Business School, México)
❓ Questions?
Contact Sönke Mestwerdt at sonke.mestwerdt@manchester.ac.uk
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Sönke Mestwerdt
Lecturer (Assistant Professor) in Entrepreneurship
Alliance Manchester Business School - IMP Division
The University of Manchester
Manchester, UK
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