[PHILOS-L] DEADLINE EXTENDED: XXXVI International Hegel Congress 2026
Chiara Magni
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Call for Abstracts — DEADLINE EXTENDED
XXXVI International Hegel Congress 2026
Hegel Global
September 01-04, 2026
Department of Philosophy, Communication and Performing Arts, Roma Tre University
Via Ostiense 234-236, Rome, Italy
https://hegelglobal.hegelnow.org
*** Extended Deadline: January 10, 2026 ***
We are pleased to invite submissions for the 36th International Hegel Congress of the Internationale Hegel-Gesellschaft e.V. (https://hegel-gesellschaft.org), to be held at Roma Tre University, Rome, Italy, from 1 to 4 September 2026.
PROGRAM DESCRIPTION (abridged version)
The 36th International Hegel Congress aims to provide a global view of the contemporary relevance and legacy of Hegelian philosophy and its worldwide reception.
One goal of the Congress is to overcome particularisms, starting from a geographical perspective (Section 1). Only by understanding the specificities of the reception of Hegel’s philosophy in Africa, the Americas, Asia, Oceania, and Europe can we identify the recurring paradigms and Fixpunkte (Henrich) of World Hegelianism, as well as its various expressions. This also allows for a provisional appraisal of the fortunes and misfortunes Hegelian thought has encountered globally. Equally valuable is the consideration of the images Hegel presents of these regions in his works, evaluating both their limitations and potentially fertile intuitions.
Achieving a “global” vision also requires overcoming content-based particularisms (Section 2). A central challenge of the Congress will be to trace Hegelian resonances in spheres seemingly distant or opposed to Idealism: from human rights debates to social and ecological movements, from global economy to philosophy of technology, posthumanism, and pop culture. The aim is to extend the frontier of Hegelian Idealism to address social issues, gender, environmental crises, and the arts — exploring whether contemporary discourse can creatively reinterpret Hegelian concepts to tackle urgent challenges. In recent decades, Hegelian Idealism has shown influence across diverse and unexpected contexts. While 1970s feminism often rejected Hegel’s philosophy as patriarchal, many contemporary feminist thinkers now engage with key Hegelian concepts — such as self-consciousness, recognition, and dialectics — to develop emancipatory thinking and new narratives. Indeed, the politics of recognition would be unthinkable without Hegel. Similarly, Hegelian Idealism is now engaged in debates around environmental issues, highlighting links between idealism, nature, and ecological ethics. This global lens also opens up renewed reflections on Hegel’s concept of religion within a speculative framework. Art, too — from traditional to pop culture, including videogames and cinema — continues to draw on Hegelian philosophy. Within this framework, the Congress seeks to encourage broader reflection on alternative narratives of German Idealism grounded in inclusion, coexistence, and intercultural dialogue. Moreover, newly (re)discovered manuscripts from Hegel’s Heidelberg period (2022) promise to fill important gaps and provide a fuller view of his philosophy. These sources, together with the transmission history of Hegelian texts, testify to the global diffusion of his thought, with manuscripts found across various European countries.
The 36th International Hegel Congress will take place in Rome, the capital of Italy — a country where Hegel’s philosophy has long found a strong resonance. Italy became an adoptive homeland for Hegelian Idealism, especially after its revival in the late 19th century. From the flourishing of Hegelianism in 1840s Naples with Bertrando Spaventa and Francesco De Sanctis to the Risorgimento, Hegel’s ideas of freedom and progress inspired hopes for political and cultural renewal. His philosophy became, as Spaventa wrote, a secular “ideal religion” and a guiding force for Italian intellectuals.
On this foundation developed the profound and controversial interpretations of Croce and Gentile, later reinterpreted in the 1960s through historical materialism and hermeneutics. Thinkers such as Galvano Della Volpe, Guido Calogero, Eugenio Garin, Lucio Colletti, Gianni Vattimo, and Giorgio Agamben continued this tradition. The Congress will also include a section dedicated to the Italian reception of Hegel in memory of Francesco Valentini (1924–2009) and Valerio Verra (1928–2001), prominent scholars at the Universities of Rome “La Sapienza” and “Roma Tre”. A special session will be devoted to young researchers, new translations, and current perspectives on Italian Hegelianism.
Details about the panels can be found on the website: https://hegelglobal.hegelnow.org
Confirmed Keynotes Speakers:
Jean-Philippe Deranty
Mariam Khazaradze
Paul Kottman
Valerio Rocco Lozano
Erzsébet Rózsa
Klaus Vieweg
Gesa Wellmann
Slavoj Žižek
Further keynote speakers will be announced later.
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If you would like to contribute with a paper to one of the parallel sections, please submit a descriptive summary of your Paper by January 10, 2026.
Contributions for presentations are welcome in German, English, and French and should not exceed 20 minutes. The following information must be provided:
Author’s name
(Institutional) address
Email address
Bio (max 150 words)
Title of the Paper
A descriptive summary of the paper indicating its relevance to the topic of the Congress (1500 characters including spaces or about 220 words)
An indication of the section for which the paper is intended
A short abstract of the paper (600 to 800 characters including spaces or about 100–125 words)
Summaries and abstracts exceeding the specified length will not be considered.
Submission of abstracts should be sent via e-mail to: hegel...@hegelnow.org
Participation in the conference requires a regular registration fee of 70 €. Undergraduate students, graduate students, PhD candidates, post-docs pay a reduced fee of 30 €.
A later publication of the papers in the Hegel-Jahrbuch is planned.
More information can be found on the website: https://hegelglobal.hegelnow.org
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