Cfp: "HERMENEUTICS OF THE SELF," inaugural issue of RICOEUR STUDIES.

One of the central ideas in Ricoeur’s work, without doubt, is that there cannot be a direct or immediate access to the self, instead the self can only be approached through a detour. That is to say that self-knowledge is always mediated by the many different interactions with what is external to the self (institutions, language, narratives, symbols, other people, to name just a few examples). Through such mediation, the self appropriates a better understanding of itself. The theme of a “hermeneutics of the self” thus encompasses the various ways in which the self can arrive at a deeper understanding of itself through its many different interactions with the surrounding world.

We are primarily interested in contributions that add genuine insight into Ricoeur’s writings and the existing scholarship on the subject but not in paraphrases or summaries of his thought. We welcome, in particular, contributions that involve comparisons between authors (Ricœur/Descartes, Ricœur/Freud, Ricœur/Foucault...), between connected or opposed concepts (interpretation and explanation of the self, interpretation and experimentation of the self), or between different disciplines (hermeneutics of the self in psychoanalysis, sociology, religion, etc.).

Any contributions that elucidate Ricoeur’s conception of the self or that extend or apply his analyses to specific areas of inquiry are welcome. Submissions can be from any disciplinary perspective and can include any aspect of Ricoeur’s work, but they must have a clear connection to the selected theme for this particular issue.

In addition to papers on the proposed theme, the journal also seeks book reviews of recent works on Ricoeur’s thought or other works associated with perspectives taken up in his work. (A book review of Ricoeur’s most recent book is especially welcome: Ecrits et conférences 2, Herméneutique, Paris, Seuil, 2010). Book reviews and articles on various topics (to be published under the heading of « Varia ») are accepted on an ongoing basis.

Deadline: September 30, 2010.

For further information, visit: http://ricoeur.pitt.edu/ojs/index.php/ricoeur.