Publishing as a Vocation: The Necessity of Independent Scholarly Media

'Publishing as a Vocation' relates a series of policy decisions and episodes that exemplify the politics of publishing. The emphasis is on case studies that confront scholarly publishers with the political, community, and ideological forces that each must confront in quotidian ways. The essay, written in the spirit of Max Weber's 'Science as a Vocation,' is non-judgemental, but making it clear that manuscript decisions extend far beyond the quality of the works accepted, rejected, or cancelled in a volatile academic and intellectual setting. It is hoped for, rather than argued, that once these extrinsic parameters are confronted, the nature of the service to the professional worlds being served can be understood, and perhaps significantly improved in a new publishing context.