ISSN 2311-6986 (Online)
ISSN 2226-5260 (Print)

HORIZON

Studies in phenomenology

The journal “Horizon. Studies in Phenomenology” has been published as a peer-reviewed scholarly periodical since 2012. It is published under the auspices of the Institute of Philosophy of the Saint-Petersburg State University and the Central European Institute of philosophy, affiliated with the Charles University and the Institute of Philosophy of the Czech Republic Academy of Sciences. The journal is biannual, all the texts being peer-reviewed and selected by experts.

The discontinuous and disparate development of the phenomenological movement in the USSR and then in Russia has more than once given rise to different editorial projects aimed at promoting phenomenological research and creating a common ground for phenomenological debates. The journal “Horizon. Studies in phenomenology” is designed to become a guide to the world of phenomenological philosophy and related branches of research. Intensifying communication between contemporary phenomenologists, creating a field of relevant discussions and exchange of new ideas are among our main goals.

The periodical is intended for specialists in phenomenology and philosophical hermeneutics as well as for all the readers interested in current philosophical discussions.

Questioning on the essence of phenomenology and its significance as a method of philosophy construed as a strict science, on the meaning of its primary maxim “Back to the things themselves!”, on its “practical turn” and the claim of phenomenology to be “the first philosophy” is still pertinent today. However, certain negative tendencies can be observed in the phenomenological community such as an inclination to formalism, dogmatism, simplification of phenomenological tasks, the very community of phenomenologists risking to turn into a self-enclosed corporation pursuing at best archival and scholastic goals.

In what registers does the phenomenological tradition develop in today’s philosophical space? On the one hand, key problems of phenomenology are deeply studied, such as those of time, relation between temporality and subjectivity, genetic phenomenology, phenomenological justification of metaphysics, regional ontologies and the theological turn in phenomenology. On the other hand, we can witness attempts to apply the phenomenological method proper to the analysis of topics which are not central to traditional phenomenology as such.

Much interest is manifested in post-phenomenological research (first of all, in France) and critique of phenomenology, the comparative analysis of particular problems of philosophical hermeneutics and Anglo-Saxon analytical philosophy. There is also a tendency to integrate phenomenology with other humanistic and scientific disciplines such as cognitive psychology, psychoanalysis, narrative philosophy etc., which entails the appearance of a new academic space for discussions. In the English-speaking phenomenology a new current has appeared, largely under Merleau-Ponty’s influence, with phenomenology gaining new opportunities for dialog with psychology and neurosciences. All these topics and branches of research undoubtedly broaden the field of phenomenological work, renewing and actualizing the multifaceted nature of phenomenology itself. Contemporary science is increasingly interdisciplinary and phenomenology is uniquely placed to help overcome the fragmentary character of scientific discourses, so that particular sciences do not lose sight of the whole, of the entire horizon. If phenomenology is still faced with the challenge of grounding the sciences, it cannot respond to it except in dialog with them.

Correspondingly, the Editorial Board of “Horizon. Studies in phenomenology” seeks, on the one hand, to support research in the history of phenomenology and hermeneutics which largely determined the landscape of the past century and on the other — to familiarize the audience with materials related to discussions on the actual situation of the phenomenological and hermeneutical traditions and on their relation with analytical philosophy, cognitive sciences, neurosciences, linguistics, semiotics etc. Certainly, we also cannot set aside the history of pre-phenomenological philosophy in so far as it has influenced the formation of the phenomenological movement. A special role is given to papers presenting the results of applied research as examples of applying the phenomenological and hermeneutical methods to describing and analyzing particular works of arts, scientific achievements, social tendencies etc.

The structure of the journal:

The first section — “Research” — contains original articles. When submitting a manuscript, the author conveys the exclusive copyright thereof to the journal. All the materials are published provided that the author agrees with this condition. The journal only publishes original studies and articles. This section includes papers written in Russian, English, German and French (without translation). Authors submitting their texts in languages other than Russian (unless they are native speakers) are asked to have them corrected by a native-speaker.

The second section — “Translations and Commentaries” — presents extracts from classical texts translated into Russian as well as translations of texts written by contemporary scholars in phenomenology and related fields. Publication of translations is conditional on having completed the necessary copyright formalities; consent of copyright holders is required. Translations are published in “Horizon. Studies in Phenomenology” only if copyright holders’ permission is obtained. Texts are usually followed by exegetic comments. The goal of this section is to discuss archival documents unfamiliar to most readers and present studies and essays by renowned philosophers and scientists.

The third section — “Discussions” — is composed of reports on recent events related to phenomenology which took place in Russia or abroad. It also includes polemics, interviews and reports on conferences. These reviews are meant to be not only purely informational, but analytical as well. The objective of this section is to intensify communication between contemporary phenomenologists and provide a space for discussions on relevant topics.

The fourth section — “Book reviews” — comprises comments or critical opinions on books and monographs on phenomenological themes published within the last 15 years. This section is intended to present noteworthy books, in accordance with the general goal of the journal, which is to cooperate on creating a unified field of thought, communication and exchange of new ideas.

The fifth section — “Events” — contains announcements of forthcoming events such as conferences, seminars, monographs, thesis defenses etc. and reference to web sources and reference materials.