A call for papers has been launched for a new edited collection entitled “The German Revolution and Political Theory” which will examine the legacy of the German Revolution on the history of political thought and practice. The series editors of Brill’s forthcoming History of European Political and Constitutional Thought book series have expressed keen interest in this project.
The German Revolution was a pivotal moment in the history of Germany and Western Europe. Yet a hundred years on and it remains an overlooked field of study within political theory. The aim of this collection is to rejuvenate interest in the political theorists and actors of the German Revolution and to place them in dialogue with conversations in contemporary political theory. We pose the question of how these political experiences should be theorised and what significance they hold for political practices today.
This collection aims to bring together political theorists and historians on the question of the relevance of the German Revolution for contemporary political theory. We invite theoretical and historical contributions that explore new pathways for understanding the significance of the German Revolution and its main participants. For example, chapters could examine:
– How political actors and theorists of the German Revolution could contribute to contemporary debates in political theory;
– How the German Revolution relates to issues of race, gender, ethnicity and identity;
– Which institutional arrangements proposed during the German Revolution could assist in projects for democratic reform;
– How political struggles for economic justice during the revolution relate to contemporary debates;
– The significance of certain political parties and groups such as the SPD, USPD, Spartakus League, Revolutionary Shop Stewards, German Democratic Party and German National People’s Party.
– A re-examination of political theorists and actors prominent in the German Revolution such as Rosa Luxemburg, Karl Liebknecht, Karl Kautsky, Richard Müller, Ernst Däumig, Philipp Scheidemann, Emil Bath and Gustav Landauer among others.
– The relation of the German Revolution to events in Russia, Europe and the rest of the world.
Deadline for abstracts (up to 300 words): 25 May 2018, send to j.muldoon@exeter.ac.uk
Deadline for submission of chapter (6,000-7,000 words): 9 November 2018.
