Call for Proposals

Special Issue of Philosophy, Politics and Critique

In recent years, liberal democratic societies have faced a series of profound political, social, and technological challenges. Regional conflicts in Europe and the Middle East, the erosion of democratic norms and institutions, and the resurgence of nationalist, authoritarian, and extremist political movements have raised pressing questions about the future of democratic life. At the same time, minority groups that have gained increasing political, legal, and social recognition since the second half of the twentieth century are experiencing renewed backlash from individuals and movements that perceive these advances as a source of their own political, economic, or cultural disenfranchisement.

These developments are further complicated by the rapid emergence of artificial intelligence technologies, which increasingly blur the distinction between truth and falsehood. The proliferation of AI-generated misinformation and synthetic media threatens to undermine public trust, distort democratic deliberation, and intensify existing social and political divisions. As technological transformations reshape the conditions of public discourse, questions concerning truth, responsibility, freedom, authority, and political judgment acquire renewed urgency.

This special issue of Philosophy, Politics and Critique seeks to address these and related challenges through the diverse traditions of continental philosophy, including phenomenology, psychoanalysis, Existenzphilosophie, French existentialism, post-Holocaust Jewish ethics and political philosophy, Frankfurt School of critical theory, structuralism, deconstruction, and the work of thinkers such as Hannah Arendt, Martin Heidegger, Michel Foucault, Giorgio Agamben, and others.

We invite submissions on topics including, but not limited to:

• Hannah Arendt on lying, truth, the public/private distinction, education, and democratic citizenship;
• Continental philosophy of law (e.g., Stefano Rodotà and related approaches);
• Martin Heidegger, Yuk Hui, and the philosophy of technology;
• Far-right politics, political theology, and the legacy of Carl Schmitt;
• Michel Foucault, biopolitics, digital subjectivity, and the contemporary manosphere;
• Peter Sloterdijk’s spherology and contemporary political space;
• Economic theology, including the work of Elettra Stimilli;
• Continental philosophy of religion (e.g., Simone Weil, Jacob Taubes, Gershom Scholem, and related figures);
• Continental Marxism (e.g., Louis Althusser, Mark Fisher, Michael Hardt and Antonio Negri, Maurizio Lazzarato, and others);
• Continental ethics and responsibility in technological society (e.g., Hans Jonas, Günther Anders, and related thinkers);
• Phenomenology, technology, and contemporary forms of political experience;
• Democracy, authority, sovereignty, and political legitimacy in the twenty-first century;
• Memory, trauma, violence, and post-conflict political life.

Submissions that engage contemporary political challenges through other figures, traditions, or methodologies within continental philosophy are also warmly welcomed. We particularly encourage contributions that bring classical continental philosophical insights into dialogue with emerging political, technological, and social realities.

Submission Guidelines

Prospective contributors are invited to submit an abstract of no more than 300 words, together with a short biographical note (approximately 100–150 words), by 20 July 2026. Abstracts should clearly outline the paper's central argument, methodology, and relevance to the themes of the special issue.

Submissions and enquiries should be sent to:

Juliana de Albuquerque — juliana.albuquerque@gmail.com
Andrea Di Carlo — andreadicarlo89@gmail.com

Authors whose proposals are accepted will be invited to submit a full paper for peer review in accordance with the journal's standard procedures.