Public Humanities is a new international open-access, cross-disciplinary, peer-reviewed journal at the intersection of humanities scholarship and public life. The journal invites proposals for themed issues that pose urgent questions on contemporary public issues that require rigorous and relevant humanities knowledge.
The journal invites submissions for the upcoming Themed Issue ‘Public Political Philosophy’, which will be Guest Edited by George Boss (editor) and Jonathan Floyd (co-editor).
The deadline for submissions is 1 July 2025.
Description
This themed issue bridges the gap between political philosophy and everyday politics. It comes at a time when philosophers, policymakers, and the public all worry about that gap. Philosophers try to make their work relevant through new methods and applications; policymakers scrutinise costs and demand research impact; the public laments the cynical nature of political discourse, questions an apparent erosion of shared values, and searches for solutions to the steady rise of populism and extremism. Addressing that gap means finding better ways for philosophy to speak to and with the public. But to do that, we need to know first what ‘better’ means in this context: that is, what makes good public political philosophy. Partly, this is about what philosophers do (run campaigns? Blog? Write articles, speeches, or manifestos?). Partly, it is about how they do it (advise, or inspire? Offer careful arguments, or present polemic? Prioritise theoretical rigour, passionate rhetoric, or plain-speaking?). Partly, it is about who they do it for (policymakers? Students? Fellow citizens?). And partly, it is about where and when they do it (election campaigns? Protests? Political debate, formal or informal? At the margins? In unseen pockets of resistance?). Different combinations of these answers have been tried before, but philosophers have rarely reflected on them systematically, compared them, or tried to evaluate them. This themed issue aims to address that gap. Potential topics include, but are not limited to:
- The need for philosophy in addressing public issues
- The link between public activism and philosophy
- The role of philosophers as public intellectuals
- The value of public political philosophy to different groups (policy-makers, citizens, activist, marginalised or disadvantaged communities, etc.)
- The methods of public political philosophy
In answering these questions, our aim is to be relevant not just to political philosophers, but also to publicly-engaged philosophers and academics more generally. Contributions are invited in a range of different formats, including theoretical arguments, case studies (both contemporary and historical), and personal reflections, and will cover a diversity of approaches, geographical and social locations, career stages, and philosophical perspectives.
Please see the journal's author instructions for information on article formats offered by Public Humanities.
Submission guidelines Submissions should be written in accessible language for a wide readership across and beyond the humanities. Articles will be peer reviewed for both content and style. Articles will appear digitally and open access in the journal.
All submissions should be made through the Public Humanities online peer review system. Author should consult the journal’s Author Instructions prior to submission.
All authors will be required to declare any funding and/or competing interests upon submission. See the journal’s Publishing Ethics guidelines for more information.
Contacts
George Boss: gb52@soas.ac.uk
Questions regarding peer review can be sent to the Public Humanities inbox at publichumanities@cambridge.org.