Call for papers
Call for Papers – Respect and Recognition: Genealogies, Boundaries, Conflicts
Edited by Alessandro Volpe
Since at least Kant and Hegel, respect and recognition have commonly been regarded as a necessary condition of acceptable social relations. Yet it is not always clear who or what the object of respect is: our common humanity? Dignity? Personal identity? Social identity? Individual differences?
At the same time, the dynamics of recognition are typically exposed to domination no less than to emancipation. Indeed, the pervasiveness of digital communication seems to foster attitudes of misrecognition and open violations of respect for human beings. The logic of recognition unquestionably raises the issue of power, that is, of relations of control and liberation. Is respect meant to be a rule of recognition, and thus a wholly normative concept? Or does it also capture a descriptive element, a specific kind of relation that is nonetheless fundamental enough to serve as the foundation of an ethics?
Moreover, the principle of respect, especially in its Kantian formulation, is often criticized for being directed exclusively at persons, leaving other living beings and inanimate nature outside the scope of moral consideration. Is it, then, an irredeemably anthropocentric principle? What kind of recognition is possible among humans, animals, and nature?
Finally, given its development from Enlightenment Europe to the present day, is it a Eurocentric and therefore discriminatory, rather than universalist, principle? What conceptions of respect (and of recognition) can be found in non-European cultures, which often have long and profound traditions on the subject, very different from the Western one?
We therefore invite contributions on the following thematic areas:
- The impact of the digital world on mutual respect and recognition
- Respect and recognition in other cultures (especially in the Global South)
- Respect and postcolonial studies
- Moral respect in politics
- Respect for persons, for living beings, for nature
- History of the ideas of respect and recognition
This list is not exhaustive: contributions on other aspects relevant to the theme are also welcome.
Deadline: 20 February 2027
ABOUT THE JOURNAL
The Italian Society of Moral Philosophy, following one of its statutory purposes, founded Filosofia Morale/Moral Philosophy, a new digital scientific journal, open access and subject to double-blind review. The journal intends to be a common space of research, open to the contribution of all people involved in the study of ethics and capable of promoting a sense of belonging to the scientific community of moral philosophy.
Moral Philosophy publishes contributions in the field of moral philosophy and neighboring disciplines (politics, theory, aesthetics, language, anthropology, religion), in a pluralist perspective, open to the different traditions of thought and the different approaches that animate ethics. The journal hosts historical, theoretical, applied and interdisciplinary contributions.
Contributions may be written in Italian, English, French, German and Spanish, provided that they are written or revised by a native speaker by the author.
The selection criteria are the argumentative rigor, the originality of the theses and the accuracy of the documentation, as well as the correctness and respect of each person, even in the expression of objections and criticisms towards the authors.
The journal has three sections: Articles, Discussions, and Reviews.
The Articles section is not thematic: contributions between 30,000 and 50,000 characters (spaces, bibliography and notes included) are published on any topic that falls within the area of moral philosophy broadly understood. Proposals for contributions may be submitted throughout the year. Proposals are double-blind reviewed. Publication shall take place in the first available issue.
The Discussions section is thematic: contributions between 15,000 and 30,000 characters are hosted, relevant to the topic that is indicated for each issue in the Call for papers section: https://mimesisjournals.com/ojs/index.php/MF/call-for-papers. Proposals are double-blind reviewed.
The Reviews section hosts contributions of no more than 15,000 characters, with no notes or bibliography, concerning volumes of interest to moral philosophy broadly understood.
