We are glad to give notice of the call for abstract for the workshop Hegel under Construction. Session II: Hegel political theologian? is now open. The workshop will find place on September 24th-25th, 2024, at the Faculty of Philosophy of the University Vita-Salute San Raffaele, Milano.

Please find below the text of the call.

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The publication of Hegel!s second volume of Gesammelte Werke serves as a definitive reaffirmation of the inherently evolving nature of young Hegelian thought, encapsulating a dynamic process marked by developmental phases punctuated by delays, reconsiderations, shifts in direction, and underlined by a stylistic and content-related tension. Significantly, the fragmentary nature of Hegel’s texts not only accentuates the transitory essence of the philosophical process he delineates but also serves to dismiss effectively Herman Nohl’s speculative systematization. Concurrently, it instigates a discourse surrounding the categorization and status of the themes Hegel addresses, notably pertaining to the significance and role of the religious (or theological-political) element. Furthermore, it is not coincidental that Herman Nohl deliberately chose to entitle his edition as Hegels Theologische Jugendschriften in 1907, sparking one of the most debated and contested controversies, primarily instigated by Hegel’s Marxist readers who critiqued the term “theological writings,” among others. If the endeavor to construct a Volksreligion, as presented in the renowned Text 16, indeed appears to form the backdrop of Hegel’s initial reflections, the polemic (and, in some respects, rejection) that young Hegel directs toward the religion of the Aufklärung is equally unequivocal. This critique sometimes leans toward motifs reminiscent of Romanitas and, at other junctures, involves a redefinition, within a substantially evangelical lexicon, of the unprecedented configuration of the relationships between theological and political elements. Importantly, this intricate analysis does not overlook the overarching framework that pervades at least the entire period from Bernese to Frankfurt. In this continuum, the alternating presence of Socrates and Jesus, along with the central themes of moral law, love, Israel, and Christianity, serves as the guiding thread in a reflection that consistently seizes the opportunity to refer to both Hegel’s contemporaneous milieu and the tensions inherent within it. This includes, notably, the keen interest in issues related to the philosophy of nature and science, as abundantly attested to in these writings.

Following the same methodological and thematic track that had inspired the first workshop organised in June 2022 at the Italian Institute for Philosophical Studies in Naples, the working group “Hegel Under Construction” composed of the University of Bologna, the University Vita-Salute San Raffaele and the University of Chieti proposes a second workshop dedicated in particular, to the theme of religion and the elements that intersect with it in the young Hegel’s thought, to be tackled from a hermeneutic, historical and theoretical perspective, both with respect to the internal evolution of Hegelian thought and to its connections with other twentieth-century and contemporary reflections. Moreover, as Jacques Derrida noted in Glas, before being a content of discourse, religion represents the framework on which Hegel articulates his own philosophical operation.

Some directions in which to develop this question from the Frühe Schriften are:

Hegel and Greek religion
Hegel and Judaism
Hegel and Christianity
the relationship between religion and the state
Hegel and the Aufklärung
Historical and literary figures in the Frühe Schriften
the female figures in the Frühe Schriften
Frühe Schriften and the system
between Berne, Frankfurt and Jena: break or continuity?
the concepts of law, destiny and positivity
the concept of revelation
Hegel, Luther and Protestantism
Hegel in the theological-political debate of the 20th century and contemporary
Hegel and post-colonial studies

Proposals should be sent to hegelunderconstruction22@gmail.com with a title (also provisional) and a short abstract (1500/2000 charactes) by April 14th, 2024.

The authors of the most interesting and innovative abstracts will be invited to present their proposal during the workshop to be held on 24th and 25th September 2024 in Milan at the Faculty of Philosophy of the University Vita-Salute San Raffaele.

Papers will be accepted in Italian, English, German, French, Spanish.
The duration of the intervention is 25 minutes.

The organizing board will cover hospitality costs but not travel expenses.

Organizing board: Eleonora Caramelli, Stefania Achella, Giacomo Petrarca

For further information, please visit the website of the event.

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