Call for papers
ENGLISH
MODERNITY, POLITICS, AND RELIGION IN THE WORK OF HANS JOAS
The journal STUDIA POLITICÆ, an academic publication from the Faculty of Political Science and International Relations at the Catholic University of Córdoba, Argentina, invites submissions of articles for its upcoming monographic volume dedicated to the analysis and discussion of Hans Joas’s work.
Hans Joas is considered one of the foremost contemporary social theorists. His work, initially connected to the renewal of pragmatism, can be situated in dialogue with historicism and hermeneutics, particularly concerning the theory of action and valuation. His European and American sources intersect in a productive tension, leading to significant contributions to political, sociological, and philosophical approaches on publicly relevant issues such as violence, values, religion, and moral universalism. In the development of his social theory, his discussions with prominent philosophers like Habermas, Taylor, Honneth, and Bellah have had a particular impact. His methodological critiques, such as those directed at sociological functionalism, and his rehabilitation of non-relativistic historicism in axiological terms are noteworthy. Furthermore, his proposal of a sociological “third way,” focused on the creativity of action, challenges the traditional dichotomy between functionalist and normative sociology. As a result, Joas occupies a central role in the current landscape of social sciences and humanities. In summary, his work interrelates the theory of action, the shaping of universal ideals, the genesis of human rights, and religion, all within the context of present social dimensions. Thus, his work has constituted an original line of research and production within social theory, whose implications Joas has been reworking since his early works.
The appeal to the pragmatist tradition and the creative solution of problems as key to understanding human action and the emergence of ideals have led them to a notable interpretation of Human Rights, the role of religion and sacralization in societies, and ultimately to a revision of the classical version of freedom stemming from left Hegelianism, which merits an academic evaluation. On the other hand, his use of history to understand from significant cases how societies could evolve without a teleological assumption, towards worse or better forms of coexistence, prompts an evaluation regarding his own assumptions. These are elements that invite a thorough reconstruction and review. It is also interesting to consider cross-cutting or derivative issues as well as implicit or neglected problems by the author that serve as interrogation and allow for a better understanding and exploitation of the possibilities of his work.
Taking Joas’s work as a starting point, STUDIA POLITICÆ invites submissions of papers proposing an analytical and critical approach to issues related to his interpretation of modernity and his political philosophy of freedom, his social theory and secularization, his understanding of sacralization and the emergence of values, his project for a universalist ethic in the face of particularism and multiculturalism, and other relevant aspects that emerge from the work of the German thinker and the conceptual cores he addresses.
Considering these central axes in Hans Joas’s work, the following thematic cores are suggested:
- Modernity, Politics, and Legitimacy
- Society, Moral Universalism, and Value Theory
- Religion, Sacralization, and Secularism in the Drift of Modernity
- Sociological Methodologies and Social Theory
- Political Philosophy and Political Theory
- Philosophical Anthropology
Submissions can be made in Spanish, English, or Portuguese and will undergo a double-blind peer review process. The selected articles will be included in edition number 64 of the journal Studia Politicæ, scheduled for release in July 2025.
The guest editors for this monographic volume are Professors Diego Fonti, Juan Manuel Saharrea, and Claudio Viale.
The deadline for article submission is September 20, 2024.
Peer reviews will be issued on November 29, 2024.
Submissions should be sent to the journal's email address: [email protected]
