About the Journal

ZEITGEIST: An Interdisciplinary Journal in Humanities and Social Sciences

ZEITGEIST: An Interdisciplinary Journal in Humanities and Social Sciences is a peer-reviewed, gold open-access multidisciplinary academic journal devoted to the publication of original, rigorous, and socially relevant scholarship in the broad domains of the humanities and social sciences. Established in December 2025 under the academic stewardship of Bahona College, Jorhat, Assam, India, the journal seeks to promote critical inquiry, interdisciplinary dialogue, and inclusive knowledge production with particular emphasis on perspectives emerging from and concerning the Global South.

The journal has been conceived as an intellectual platform for academicians, researchers, policy thinkers, independent scholars, practitioners, and research students to engage with pressing historical, social, political, economic, cultural, literary, philosophical, ecological, and contemporary issues shaping societies across regional, national, and global contexts. ZEITGEIST aims to encourage methodological diversity, theoretical innovation, comparative inquiry, and meaningful interdisciplinary engagement across established and emerging fields of scholarship.

Rooted in the intellectual and socio-cultural context of Northeast India while maintaining a broad outlook, the journal aspires to amplify underrepresented voices, regional experiences, indigenous perspectives, and critical approaches that often remain marginalized within dominant academic discourse. In doing so, ZEITGEIST seeks to contribute to a more democratic, accessible, and globally inclusive scholarly ecosystem.

Bibliographic Address

ZEITGEIST: An Interdisciplinary Journal in Humanities and Social Sciences

Publisher details:
Name of Person Responsible: Dr Sumbit Chaliha, Principal and Chairperson, Internal Quality Assurance Cell (IQAC), Bahona College, Jorhat – 785101, Assam, India
Name of Issuing / Publishing Body: Internal Quality Assurance Cell (IQAC), Bahona College (on behalf of Bahona College, Jorhat – 785101, Assam, India)
E-mail: report.iqac@bahonacollege.edu.in
Mobile: 9101354184
Address: Bahona College, Jorhat, Pin Code: 785101, Assam

Journal Website: https://journals.bahonacollege.edu.in/index.php/zeit

Journal Email: editor.zeitgeist@bahonacollege.edu.in

Journal Information

Particulars Details
Full Title ZEITGEIST: An Interdisciplinary Journal in Humanities and Social Sciences
Publisher Name of Person Responsible: Dr Sumbit Chaliha, Principal and Chairperson, Internal Quality Assurance Cell (IQAC), Bahona College, Jorhat – 785101, Assam, India
Name of Issuing / Publishing Body: Internal Quality Assurance Cell (IQAC), Bahona College (on behalf of Bahona College, Jorhat – 785101, Assam, India)
E-mail: report.iqac@bahonacollege.edu.in
Mobile: 9101354184
Address: Bahona College, Jorhat, Pin Code: 785101, Assam
Place of Publication Jorhat, Assam – 785101, India
Starting Year December 2025
Frequency Biannual
Publication Format Online
Language English
Access Type Gold Open Access
Peer Review Double-Blind Peer Review
Scope National
Disciplines Covered Multidisciplinary (Humanities and Social Sciences)
Hosting Platform Open Journal Systems (OJS)
ISSN Applied For
DOI Pending
Website https://journals.bahonacollege.edu.in/index.php/zeit
Official Journal Email editor.zeitgeist@bahonacollege.edu.in

Aim and Scope

ZEITGEIST aims to foster academic excellence and contribute meaningfully to the advancement of knowledge in the humanities and social sciences through the publication of high-quality scholarly research. The journal seeks to create an intellectually vibrant space for interdisciplinary dialogue and critical reflection on historical processes, social transformations, political developments, cultural practices, philosophical traditions, environmental concerns, and emerging global challenges.

The journal welcomes original contributions from a wide range of disciplines, including but not limited to:

  • History

  • Political Science

  • Sociology

  • Economics

  • Anthropology

  • Philosophy

  • Literature and Literary Studies

  • Cultural Studies

  • Media and Communication Studies

  • Gender and Feminist Studies

  • International Relations

  • Geography

  • Education

  • Public Administration

  • Indigenous and Tribal Studies

  • Borderland and Migration Studies

  • Environmental Humanities

  • Development Studies

  • Peace and Conflict Studies

  • Religion and Society

  • Linguistics and Language Studies

The journal particularly encourages submissions addressing themes such as:

  • Colonialism and Postcoloniality

  • Indigenous Histories and Knowledge Systems

  • Borderlands and Frontiers

  • Identity, Ethnicity, and Nationalism

  • Gender, Sexuality, and Marginality

  • Social Justice and Human Rights

  • Governance and Public Policy

  • Environment, Ecology, and Sustainability

  • Media, Technology, and Society

  • Globalisation and Development

  • Memory, Violence, and Resistance

  • Cultural Heritage and Representation

  • Northeast India and Global South Studies

ZEITGEIST publishes:

  • Original Research Articles

  • Review Articles

  • Theoretical Essays

  • Case Studies

  • Book Reviews

  • Short Communications

  • Scholarly Reflections

  • Interviews and Translations

The journal welcomes contributions from scholars across India and the world and maintains a broad national scope.

Publication Model and Open Access Policy

ZEITGEIST operates under a Gold Open Access publishing model. All articles published in the journal are made freely and permanently accessible online immediately upon publication without subscription fees, registration barriers, or paywall restrictions.

The journal strongly believes that scholarly knowledge should remain publicly accessible and that financial barriers should not impede academic exchange, particularly for scholars and institutions located in under-resourced regions. In accordance with this principle, all published content is made available without cost to readers worldwide.

To support the technical maintenance, digital hosting, editorial processing, and publication infrastructure of the journal, ZEITGEIST charges a nominal and non-commercial Article Processing Charge (APC) of Rs. 500/- per submission. The amount collected is used exclusively for operational and maintenance-related requirements of the journal and not for any commercial purpose.

The journal remains committed to the principles of:

  • Open knowledge dissemination

  • Academic inclusivity

  • Intellectual equity

  • Ethical scholarly communication

  • Accessibility of research

No subscription fee is charged from readers, libraries, or institutions for accessing journal content.

Peer Review Policy

ZEITGEIST follows a rigorous double-blind peer-review process to ensure academic quality, originality, methodological soundness, and scholarly integrity.

Under this process:

  • the identities of authors remain concealed from reviewers.

  • the identities of reviewers remain concealed from authors.

  • manuscripts undergo preliminary editorial screening.

  • submissions aligned with the journal’s scope are forwarded for expert evaluation.

Reviewers evaluate manuscripts on the basis of:

  • originality,

  • conceptual clarity,

  • methodological rigor,

  • theoretical contribution,

  • relevance,

  • quality of argument,

  • language and structure,

  • ethical compliance.

The editorial board reserves the right to reject submissions that fail to meet scholarly or ethical standards.

Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement

ZEITGEIST is committed to maintaining the highest standards of publication ethics and academic integrity. The journal adheres to globally recognized ethical publishing practices and follows the principles and recommendations of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

The journal maintains zero tolerance towards:

  • plagiarism,

  • fabricated or falsified data,

  • duplicate submission,

  • redundant publication,

  • citation manipulation,

  • unethical research practices,

  • undisclosed conflicts of interest,

  • AI-generated fraudulent scholarship.

All manuscripts may be screened using plagiarism detection software and editorial review mechanisms prior to publication.

Authors are expected to:

  • submit original and unpublished work,

  • properly acknowledge all sources,

  • disclose conflicts of interest,

  • obtain permissions for copyrighted materials,

  • comply with ethical research standards.

Where ethical violations are detected, the journal reserves the right to:

  • reject submissions,

  • issue corrections,

  • retract published articles,

  • notify affiliated institutions where necessary.

Copyright and Licensing Policy

© 2025 Bahona College, Jorhat, Assam, India.

All content published in ZEITGEIST is licensed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).

This license permits:

  • unrestricted use,

  • sharing,

  • reproduction,

  • adaptation,

  • redistribution,

in any medium or format, provided appropriate credit is given to the original author(s) and source.

License URL:
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

While authors retain moral responsibility for the content of their work, copyright of the published material rests with the publisher unless otherwise specified.

Sponsorship and Funding Disclosure

ZEITGEIST is published under the academic stewardship of Bahona College, Jorhat, Assam, India. The journal presently functions as a non-commercial academic initiative intended to promote scholarly research and interdisciplinary dialogue.

The journal does not receive commercial publishing sponsorships or corporate funding. Revenue generated through the nominal article processing charge is utilized solely for:

  • journal maintenance,

  • website hosting,

  • technical operations,

  • editorial workflow,

  • publication-related activities.

The journal maintains full editorial independence in all publication decisions.

History of the Journal

ZEITGEIST originated as an academic initiative associated with the Internal Quality Assurance Cell (IQAC) of Bahona College with the objective of creating a credible and accessible platform for scholarly publication in the humanities and social sciences.

The journal was formally established in 2025 and launched its inaugural volume as part of the institution’s broader commitment to research promotion, interdisciplinary engagement, and academic excellence. Since its inception, the journal has sought to bridge regional and global scholarly conversations while foregrounding critical perspectives from Northeast India and the Global South.

Digital Archiving and Preservation Policy

ZEITGEIST is hosted through the Open Journal Systems (OJS) platform to ensure metadata standardization, accessibility, indexing compatibility, and long-term digital preservation.

The journal is committed to ensuring the long-term accessibility and preservation of published content. The journal intends to participate in recognized digital preservation and archiving initiatives such as:

  • LOCKSS (Lots of Copies Keep Stuff Safe)

  • CLOCKSS (Controlled Lots of Copies Keep Stuff Safe)

  • PKP Preservation Network (PKP PN)

subject to technical integration and eligibility requirements.

These systems are designed to ensure permanent scholarly accessibility and protection against data loss.

Privacy Statement

The names, email addresses, institutional affiliations, and other personal information entered on the journal website shall be used exclusively for the stated purposes of the journal, including editorial communication, peer-review management, publication processing, and scholarly correspondence.

Such information shall not be made available for any commercial purpose, third-party distribution, marketing activity, or unauthorized use.

ZEITGEIST is committed to protecting the privacy and confidentiality of authors, reviewers, editors, and readers in accordance with accepted ethical and professional standards.

Abstracting, Indexing, and Metadata Policy

The journal seeks to maintain high metadata quality and indexing compatibility through the use of standardized scholarly publishing protocols and the Open Journal Systems (OJS) platform.

ZEITGEIST intends to apply for inclusion in relevant indexing and abstracting databases, repositories, and scholarly directories, including but not limited to:

  • Google Scholar

  • Crossref

  • DOAJ

  • ROAD

  • OpenAlex

  • Scilit

  • Dimensions

  • National and institutional repositories

The journal also intends to implement DOI registration and ORCID integration as part of its long-term scholarly infrastructure development.