Greetings! 

We are thrilled to be the new co-editors of The Space Between and look forward to future years of collaboration and growth while keeping steadfast the interdisciplinary rigor that has defined the journal for decades.

While we are crossing the finish line with this issue, credit goes to the former general editor, Jennifer Nesbitt; former associate editor, Joshua Lam; and retiring book editors Sarah Gleeson-White and Jessica Masters, as well as all the contributors. Together they have crafted a rich issue.

We are especially grateful to Jen for making our transition to the editorship smooth. She has been a dedicated leader, steering the journal through difficult times, including a global pandemic and the shifting sands of Higher Ed. We have much to live up to and want to express our deep gratitude for her generosity of spirit and willingness to spend time helping us learn the processes necessary to ensure a quality publication. 

This issue brings you three delightful articles:

First, Christina Leah Sztajnkrycer’s “Traumatic Nostalgia for a Place Never Known in Blanche Bendahan’s Mazaltob” introduces readers to North African Sephardic Jews through Mazaltob, a girl who nostalgically years for France despite never having called it her home. Sztajnkrycer’s work explores the problems of colonial education through a gendered experience. 

Derek Vouri-Richard’s “Defense Disharmony: A Case Study on General Motors, Useful Cinema, and the Racial Regime of America during World War II” explores the changing racial dynamics at General Motors both on the line and on screen during the war. As Vouri-Richard details through a series of cinematic close readings, the easing of racial barriers at the plants were contradicted and undermined by the defense production films.

Rounding out this section, you’ll find an intriguing and fresh approach to Jean Rhys’s Good Morning, Midnight, by Amanda Reeves that examines protagonist Sasha Jansen’s fascination with Russia and her adoption of Russian behavior and dress. In “‘Russians in Paris:’ Exploring the Eastern European Presence in Jean Rhys’s Good Morning, Midnight” Reeves’ argues that through these depictions, Rhys combats British stereotypes prevalent in the period about Russianness. 

Following, you'll find a conference review essay for 2025's Peace and Conflict in the Space Between by Rachel Martin and an interdisciplinary slate of book reviews for new work about the Space Between. 

We hope you enjoy reading this issue as much as we have enjoyed compiling it. 

Lastly, an announcement! The Space Between is seeking a new Book Review Editor. We seek editors who will search for interesting new directions in scholarship of this period, understand the global inflections of interwar experience, and work to promote awareness for our readers. The Book Review Editor is responsible for identifying works for review, soliciting reviews, communicating with publishers and review authors, and providing both developmental editing and copyediting for the reviews. In addition, the Book Review Editor advises the Editors of the journal as needed. Please apply by sending us your CV and a brief statement of interest to spacebetweenjournal@gmail.com. Accepting applications until January 1, 2026. We’re happy to answer your questions in advance of your application. 

All the best, 

Sarah E. Cornish and Melissa Dinsman, Co-Editors