2021 marks the 200th anniversary of the publication of Hegel’s ‘Philosophy of Right’. Along with Hobbes’s ‘Leviathan’, Locke’s ‘Second Treatise’, and Rousseau’s ‘Social Contract’ it represents one of the chief works of classical modern legal philosophy. As with all contributions to the field, Hegel’s ‘Philosophy of Right’ has both sparked much controversy and generated devout followership. In Hegel’s case, the followers are neatly divided into a conservative ‘right wing’ and a progressive ‘left wing’ camp.
Unsurprisingly, hence, Hegel is of a nearly unparalleled interest to theorists of a variety of persuasions. And Hegel, of course, continues to fascinate particularly in the field of public law. Chief among the themes that attract attention is the role of the state as the body that is supposed to reconcile a divided society. Hegel may – for sound reasons – be considered the thinker who offers a synthesis of (what were thought to be) rivaling approaches in political theory; combining Locke’s focus on individual rights and a Burkean contextual analysis: Hegel understands that the administrative state (the Not- und Verstandesstaat) grows out of civil society and acts in its service.
At the same time, he is deeply skeptical of the vicious aspects of morality. He is in favor of freedom of speech while, at the same time, deriding its significance. And he has a keen sense of the role of rights for a free society while, arguably, pioneering the welfare state.
The Vienna Journal on International Constitutional Law (ICL Journal) celebrates the outstanding importance of Hegel’s thought in a special 2021 issue dedicated to scholarship focusing on select aspects of the ‘Philosophy of Right’
We would like to invite scholars from all ranks (including doctoral students) to submit their ideas for contributions in which they link themes from comparative constitutional law, global constitutionalism or constitutional theory with Hegel’s legal philosophy.
Submission Instructions
Interested scholars should email an abstract of no more than 500 words along with a CV by February 28, 2020 to the following address: [email protected]
Abstracts should reflect papers that will not have been published by the time of submission, nor submitted elsewhere for consideration for publication. Scholars should identify their submission with the following subject line: ‘Hegel 200th Anniversary’
Notification and Participation Requirements
Successful applicants will be selected by the board of editors and notified no later than March 15, 2020 and will be required to submit an original, unpublished paper between 6,000 words and 8,000 words consistent with ICL Journal’s submission guidelines by July 15, 2020. All articles will then undergo double blind peer-review. Articles accepted for publication in the special Symposium will be published in Volume 15, issue 4. Expected publication date: December 2021.
For an overview of the journal and instructions for authors, see
https://www.degruyter.com/view/j/icl#callForPapersHeader
We are looking forward to receiving your submission and are happy to answer any questions that you may have related to the special issue.
Best wishes for 2021!
Christoph Bezemek Alexander Somek
