BOSS: The Biannual Online-Journal of Springsteen Studies edited by Jonathan D. Cohen (review)

BOSS: The Biannual Online-Journal of Springsteen Studiesis an open access academic journal that publishes peer-reviewed essays pertaining to Bruce Springsteen. Published since 2014 by McGill University, BOSSis put together by managing editor Jonathan D. Cohen, a PhD student in American History at the University of Virginia, along with two editors and an editorial board of 11.

According to its mission statement, BOSS“seeks to encourage consideration of Springsteen’s body of work primarily through the political, economic, and socio-cultural factors that have influenced his music and shaped its reception.” The journal “welcomes broad interdisciplinary and cross-disciplinary approaches to Springsteen’s songwriting and performance” and “aims to secure a place for Springsteen Studies in the contemporary academy” while also bridging the gap between fans and academics. The editors welcome submissions of articles that are rigorously researched; the suggested length is 15 to 25 pages.

In its inaugural issue, BOSSserves up four main articles contributed principally by authors from writing departments at institutions in the United States and Australia. The first article is an examination of the rhetorical effect of the song “Born in the U.S.A.” The second article is an exploration of Springsteen’s publicly expressed ideas on authenticity and the role of one’s influences in the creative process. The author places him in a lineage of folk musicians that includes Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger and contemplates the significance of his legacy. In the third article, the two Australian authors discuss the reception of the album Born in the U.S.A. in 1980s Australia in the context of Australia’s relationship with the United States as reflected in popular culture and in light of technological changes. Finally, in the fourth article, the author draws on theories of moral development as well as his own adolescent experience to support his idea that listening to Bruce Springsteen’s music can enable moral growth.

In the Reviews segment, contributors review the 2014 book Bruce Springsteen: American Poet and Prophetby Donald L. Deardorff II (which “attempts to” but “proves unable to” explain the popularity of Springsteen’s music in its cultural, social, and political context) and the 2013 documentary film Springsteen & Idirected by Baillie Walsh (“an inspiring, funny, poignant, and creative array of videos showing fans discussing their feelings for Springsteen, their encounters with him, as well as his place in their lives.”)

Finally, in the Special Collections segment, the editors highlight Denise Green’s online annotated bibliography of Springsteen scholarship, Library of Hope and Dreams, which currently consists of nearly 300 entries. The Special Collections segment is planned to be a regular feature of the journal.

At the time of this writing, BOSSis not indexed in RILM, Music Index, JSTOR, or Ulrich’s, nor is it included in the Directory of Open Access Journals. However, a bibliographic record for the journal is available in WorldCat (OCLC #882541774).