International Network
Hegel's Relevance

Call for Abstracts 10th Conference of the International Network Hegel’s Relevance

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Hegel on Historicity 

Athens, Greece 5-7 November 2026

 

Despite important precedents in Augustine, Bossuet, Voltaire, Kant, and Herder, Hegel is widely regarded as the first philosopher of history—not only because he subjected history to philosophical inquiry, but above all because he thematized the historicity of philosophy itself. Alongside his much-debated philosophy of world history, Hegel repeatedly stressed, throughout his oeuvre and especially in numerous programmatic and introductory remarks, that philosophy, including all metaphysical categories, and even rationality itself is substantially conditioned by history—by world history as well as by the histories of empirical sciences, art, religion, and philosophy. For Hegel, history articulates the very possibility of the actual spirit (Geist) in all its forms: there is no subjective, objective, or absolute spirit without history. This emphasis famously inspired Marx to describe the “science of history” as the “sole science.”

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The upcoming conference aims to discuss central aspects of history and historicity in Hegel’s philosophy from a systematic perspective. Possible guiding questions include, but are not limited to:

-What is history, and why does it matter philosophically?

-What is the difference between historicity and mere contingency?

-What is Hegel’s notion of “philosophical history,” if it is neither historicism nor the projection of an external teleology onto historical facts?

-Does Hegel’s emphasis on historicity exclude any genuine possibility of predicting future developments, thereby restricting philosophy to the role symbolized by the “owl of Minerva”?

-To what extent is the historical development of concepts relevant to the immanent conceptual development within Hegel’s Philosophy of Nature, Philosophy of Spirit, and—most provocatively—the Science of Logic?

-How does historicity apply to seemingly ahistorical notions inherited from the rationalist or Kantian tradition, such as “truth,” “science,” “idea,” and “reason”?

-Is Hegel’s emphasis on historicity a form of pragmatism avant la lettre?

-Do art, religion, philosophy (and their various historical forms), or even human life and social institutions (and their own various forms), possess a specific intrinsic value beyond what is historically ascribed to them?

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We invite postdoctoral researchers working in the field to submit an abstract (maximum 500 words) addressing one or more of these topics. The conference will include four postdoctoral slots. Coverage of accommodation costs is subject to available funding.

 

A collected volume based on the conference papers is planned for publication in the series Critical Studies in German Idealism (BRILL). The publication language will be English.

 

Length of papers: 30 minutes presentation, followed by 15 minutes of discussion

 

Deadline for submissions: 15 June 2026

Email address for abstract submissions: HegelOnHistoricity@gmail.com

Notification of acceptance: 30 June 2026

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Conference languages: English, German

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Confirmed speakers: Christophe Bouton, Paul Cobben, Maria Daskalaki, Allegra De Laurentiis, Georges Faraklas, Diogo Ferrer, Guido Frilli, Antonios Kalatzis, Jean-François Kervégan, Jannis Kozatsas, Christian Krijnen, Thomas Noutsopoulos, Tim Rojek, Panagiotis Thanassas, Klaus Vieweg

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Organizers: Georges Faraklas (Department of Political Science and History, Panteion University), Jannis Kozatsas (Department of Primary Education, University of Thessaly), Ermylos Plevrakis (Department of History and Philosophy of Science, University of Athens)

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www.hegelsrelevance.org