Call for papers

Call for Papers: “Dimensione estetica”, n. 2, vol. I (2027)
“Aesthetics and Critical Theory: Perspectives on the Contemporary Relevance of a Model of Thought”
(edited by Mario Farina and Stefano Marino)

Within the broad landscape of contemporary philosophy, the paradigm of Critical Theory (associated with the approach developed by members of the so-called Frankfurt School) undoubtedly represents one of its most authoritative and intellectually stimulating voices. The areas of inquiry addressed by thinkers who belong to the tradition of Critical Theory encompass a wide range of interconnected fields, including epistemology, ethics, political theory, philosophy of language, metaphysics, philosophy of law, aesthetics, and many others. Among these domains, aesthetics is one in which several of the founding figures of Critical Theory made particularly influential contributions, shaping subsequent developments in aesthetic reflection in profound ways. This is clearly evidenced in the works of Walter Benjamin, Theodor W. Adorno, Siegfried Kracauer, Max Horkheimer, and Herbert Marcuse. In the decades that followed, philosophers and theorists associated with the legacy of the so-called “first generation” of Frankfurt School thinkers – and, more specifically, with the model of aesthetic reflection intertwined with the social dimension that they inaugurated and developed – have included figures such as Angela Davis, Fredric Jameson, Martin Seel, among others. This issue of Dimensione estetica seeks to situate itself within this intellectual horizon by fostering a reflection on the enduring relevance of Critical Theory for a critical, rather than merely descriptive and “value-free”, understanding of the major aesthetic questions of our time. The notion of the aesthetic is here understood in a broad and comprehensive sense, encompassing both the field of philosophy of art and the domain of the constitutive dynamics of sensibility (aisthesis).
Scholars working in contemporary philosophy with an interest in aesthetic reflection inspired by Critical Theory are invited to submit original contributions related to the general theme of this Call for Papers: “Aesthetics and Critical Theory: Perspectives on the Contemporary Relevance of a Model of Thought”.
Submissions should include e-mail, abstract, 5 keywords and a short biographical note, and must be sent to dimensioneestetica.rivista@gmail.com by 30 November 2026.
Editorial Guidelines: https://mimesisjournals.com/ojs/index.php/dimensione-estetica/submissions-proposte

Following an initial evaluation by the guest editors of this issue of Dimensione estetica (Mario Farina and Stefano Marino), the articles selected in the first stage will be submitted to an anonymous double-blind peer-review process. Authors will subsequently be notified of the outcome of the review process and of the possible publication of their contribution in the Issue n. 2, vol. I (2027) of the journal.