Thematic issue of Discipline Filosofiche XXV, 1, 2015:

Figures, functions and critique of subjectivity beginning from husserlian phenomenology

Volume editor: Emanuele Mariani

Among the many ways of interpreting Husserl’s phenomenology, one in particular seems to display undisputed evidence, identifying it without much hesitation to a philosophy of the subject. There are however many problematic aspects to this identification, corresponding to as many moments of the analysis such as the rejection of the “pure I”, for instance, and its subsequent rehabilitation in the passage that leads from the Logical Investigations to the explication of the transcendental method. Additional questions pertain to the subject brought back to its corporal substrate and inscribed in an intersubjective relationship or placed at the very foundation of  the world’s transcendence.

These and other vicissitudes have coincided with a process to “put subjectivity on trial” which has never ceased to animate the phenomenologically-inspired debate, from the neo-Kantian critique to the Heideggerian existential revision, from Sartre to Merleau-Ponty, from Ricoeur and Levinas to Henry and to the most recent proposal of Jean-Luc Marion, without forgetting of course the contributions of analytical philosophy, centred on the “mind-body” problem, on the significance of consciousness or on the relationship between the “first person” and the “third person”.

The purpose of the present issue of Discipline Filosofiche is to shed some light on the problems relating to the theme of “subjectivity”, both with Husserl and in relation to the grammar of thought which has confronted itself with Husserlian phenomenology. Possible topics therefore include – however without limitation – the relationship between the “empirical I” and the “transcendental I”; the problem of “reflection” and the access to consciousness; ipseity; will; the body; temporality; the pragmatic, the anthropological and the performative dimensions of the subject.

Submission guidelines

Contributions can be addressed in English, Italian, German or French and shall not exceed 9,000 words including abstract, references and footnotes. They should be prepared for anonymous refereeing and sent as email attachment in Microsoft Word as well as in a pdf version to emanuelemariani76@yahoo.it. Contributions will be sent to two independent reviewers in a double-blind procedure prior to the publication decision. Authors may be requested to change or improve their articles upon suggestion by reviewers. Please attach both a fully-blinded version of your paper as a “Manuscript” and a separate “Cover page” indicating the full name of the author, academic titles, university affiliation and full contact details. The submission shall contain an abstract in English, not exceeding 150 words. For further details, please see guidelines (all submissions will be acknowledged). Submitted manuscripts can be formatted in any clear and consistent style, although authors finalizing their papers for publication will be required to hand in a final version that respects the journal’s stylistic rules (please download “Style guidelines” for reference). Submission of a contribution is understood to imply that the paper has not been published before and is not being considered for publication by any other journal. The publication of a paper implies waiver by the author of his copyright; the copyright can thereafter be requested from the journal for future publication. 

Deadline for submission: April 30, 2015.

Notification of acceptance, conditional acceptance or rejection: June 30, 2015.

Final version due by: September 15, 2015.