CFP: “Politics After Metaphysics”

May 16, 2010 by Farhang Erfani

Special Issue of the Journal Telos: “Politics After Metaphysics”, ed. by Michael Marder

Contemporary political philosophy is marked by a deep distrust of the transcendent grounding of politics and, hence, by an effort to distance itself from “foundationalism,” replete with uncritical presuppositions regarding the very meaning of political ontology. Yet, post-foundational politics is but one facet of the shift beyond metaphysics in today’s thinking and action with their rejection of a transhistorical and objectively fixed notion of truth. Article submissions are invited for this special issue of Telos, seeking to outline the contours of post-metaphysical politics. The contributions to Politics After Metaphysics may be grounded in phenomenological, existentialist, hermeneutical, psychoanalytic, and deconstructive traditions. Some of the focal questions the articles may address include: What is the role of interpretation in contemporary political theory and practice? What is the meaning of the political and how do the very concepts of “meaning” and “truth” change at the dusk of metaphysics? Who are the subjects, cast into the limelight of post-metaphysical politics? How can we re-think the relation between ethics and politics from the post-metaphysical vantage point? What are the roles and functions of historical analysis, language, signification, and critique in post-metaphysical politics? Comparative analyses, juxtaposing post-metaphysical political thought to that of a figure in classical political philosophy, are also welcome.

Inquiries and submissions should be forwarded to Michael Marder at marderm@duq.edu.

The essays of a maximum 6,500 words (7,500 with footnotes) should follow Telos style and formatting guidelines. Deadline for submissions is October 1, 2011.