Studia Phaenomenologica Vol XI (2011): Concepts of Tradition in Phenomenology
The 2011 issue of Studia Phaenomenologica is dedicated to the topic: Concepts of Tradition in Phenomenology.As it is commonly known, Husserl's phenomenology demanded at its firstbreakthrough a total refutation of all uncertified knowledge, theory ormeaning inherited from the past. However, the development ofphenomenological inquiry gradually resulted in a more ambiguousattitude towards history and tradition. On the one hand, history andtradition are necessary but still unfortunate distortions, which hinderphenomenological research in its strive for original self-givenness; onthe other hand, they become themselves universal phenomena that must beexplored as such.
As recentpublications of late Husserlian manuscripts have revealed, Husserlhimself became more and more aware of these topics in his last decade,as he was finally inclined to interpret the Life-world itself in itsfull concreteness as a “generative tradition”. Tradition in this sensepertains to all meaning sprung from earlier acquisition. Therefore, theconcept obviously exceeds its ordinary meaning, exclusively related tointer-subjective historical inheritance, by gaining a fundamentalimportance for all areas of phenomenological analysis, as they all havethe characteristic of “traditionalizing”. Thus, there is “tradition” atwork in all action or bodily movement, in every instance of a givensituation and in any relation to another thing or being.
Understood in thisbroad sense, the term does not address only the genetic fact ofsedimentation, but also a specific, “habitual” quality that thingsallow to see through themselves, as bearers of a past. Hence, the thememarks an intersection of various problematic strata in Husserlianphenomenology, starting from the correlation of genetic and staticphenomenology, following through different aspects of phenomenologicalmethodology, and up to several ground-themes of phenomenologicalresearch, such as historicity, memory, language, bodily existence,inter-subjectivity, life-world and others.
The same twofoldrelation to tradition – of growing thematic interest, on the one hand,and utter criticism, on the other – shows in the post-Husserlianphenomenology as well. Heidegger, for instance, is from his earlybeginnings convinced that history should be the true guideline forphenomenological research, while at the same time pleading for asystematic destruction of the philosophical tradition. A similarlyambiguous position defines his later project of transcendingmetaphysics, and certainly other examples can be found as well.
The aim of our 2011issue is therefore to explore the two fundamental poles that define thephenomenological approach of tradition: the task of understanding theproblem of tradition thematically, on one hand, and the necessity ofconfronting it methodically as a residual distortion, on the other hand.
We welcome allsubmissions addressing either one of these two landmarks. Contributionsto the late Husserlian topic of “tradition”, in its universalacceptation or in some concrete life-worldly application, areparticularly encouraged, as well as submissions dealing with other,post-Husserlian, phenomenological approaches to the concept of“tradition”.
Contact: The texts can be submitted to the address: tradition@phenomenology.ro
The texts have to be prepared in accordance with the formal rules indicated in our website.
The languages accepted for publication are: German, English, and French.
Deadline for submission: November, the 15th, 2010.
In each volume of Studia Phaenomenologica, there is a section of Varia. Therefore, articles that do not fit the topic of our calls for papers, can be submitted to the editors, following the formal rules indicated in our website, at the email address: editors"AT"phenomenology.ro.