CFP: Studies in Social and Political Thought: Debt and Obligation

CALL FOR PAPERS
SPECIAL ISSUE OF STUDIES IN SOCIAL AND POLITICAL THOUGHT (SSPT)
‘DEBT AND OBLIGATION’

Submission Deadline: 5th May 2014

The global economic crisis has brought the question of debt sharply into
focus. From the indebtedness of the individual by means of easy credit, to
the universalisation of private debt in financial instruments and the
financial stranglehold of whole countries by sovereign debt. Debt and the
obligation that comes with it dominate the structure of contemporary society
and economy. Austerity programmes are implemented by governments around the
world, often with disastrous social consequences and without popular
support. The narratives of “living within one's means” and “giving back what
is owed” are dominant among the international organisations and power
centres that promote these austere solutions. Even democratic legitimation
is superseded by the obligation of paying one's debts, to the extent that
technocratic governments replace democratically elected ones for fulfilling
that purpose. A “hard but fair” solution is advanced by many in government
and elsewhere, where debt reduction seems to be given an almost moral
quality, and as such connected to a moral obligation and duty.

On the other hand, the concepts of debt and obligation are the cornerstones
of many ethical theories and philosophies, from Kant's categorical
imperative and deontological ethics in general to Nietzsche's genealogical
critique of morality. Moreover, a great part of political philosophy and
theory is preoccupied with the question of the obligation to the state and
what gives it legitimacy. But how are these ethical and political issues put
into practice? Depending on one's point of view there can be either a moral
obligation that supports the state's legitimacy, or one that directly
opposes it. In particular, should one follow the moral narrative of paying
one's debts under any circumstances or are there instances where one has an
obligation to resist debts placed upon them? Is there such a thing as a just
debt? These questions, it could be claimed, have not been given enough
critical attention, and theoretical discourse has passed them by.

We are, therefore, seeking articles that engage theoretically with the
concepts of debt and obligation, and explore their relationship with the
social, economic, or political spheres. In keeping with the
interdisciplinary ethos of SSPT we will accept papers from all related
disciplines including politics, sociology, history, political economy, and
philosophy.

Possible theoretical frameworks and topics include, but are not limited to:

Moral Obligation / Political Obligation / Debt from an Economic,
Sociological, Historical or Philosophical Perspective / Crisis & Debt /
Deontological Ethics / Kantian Ethics and Political Theory / Hegel /
Contract Theory / Recognition & Self-Recognition / Nietzsche, Morality,
Guilt and “Bad Conscience” / Marxism & Marxisms / Theories of Biopolitics /
Instrumental Reason / Critical Theory / Post-Colonialism / Discourse and
Democratic Theory / Structuralism and Post-Structuralism / Soft and Hard
Power / Hegemony / World-Systems / Sovereignty / Legality and Legitimacy /

Article Submissions:

Articles should be 5,000-7,000 words. The deadline for submissions is 5th
May 2014.

Please send your articles to [email protected]

For more information and for submission guidelines visit:
www.ssptjournal.wordpress.com

All accepted articles will feature in a special issue of SSPT on ‘Debt and
Obligation’ to be published Summer 2014

About SSPT:

Studies in Social and Political Thought is a journal produced by
postgraduate students, many of whom are based at the University of Sussex.
The journal seeks to foster and promote interdisciplinarity in social and
political thought, in addition to providing a publishing platform to junior
academics.

The journal is presently produced and supported by the Centre for Social and
Political Thought at the University of Sussex. Our international advisory
board includes Robert Pippin, Axel Honneth, Seyla Benhabib, Gayatri
Chakravorty Spivak, Fredric Jameson, Homi Bhabha, Alessandro Ferrara,
William Outhwaite, Simon Jarvis, Shadia Drur, Martin Jay, Adriana Cavarero,
James Gordon Finlayson, Robert Goodin, and Andrew Chitty.

For all other info regarding the journal, including our annual Summer
conference, as well as access to free PDF copies of the journal, visit: