CFP: Justifying the State

Call for Book Chapters

Justifying the State (Palgrave Macmillan): Edited by Gene Callahan and Leye Komolafe

Introduction

Political obligation remains one of the most discussed, and contested, topics in political philosophy. Whether there is a peremptory or prima facie duty to obey the state has been the subject of rigorous philosophical debate, with philosophers offering various theories both in support of and against political obligation. 

Plato, for instance, grounded political obligation in citizenship. His argument can be interpreted to mean that individuals, by virtue of being citizens, are obligated to obey the state. The discourse on political obligation has, however, evolved over time, as theological, teleological, deontological, voluntarist, and associative theories, among others, have been further developed. 

Many theorists argue that if individuals are obligated to obey the state, then the state must possess legitimate authority. Defending such authority requires that the state itself be justified. Thus, a foundational question in the debate on political obligation is whether the state can, in fact, be justified. Philosophical anarchists challenge this premise, arguing that the state cannot be justified, and therefore cannot claim a moral right to demand obedience. 

The central question, then, remains: Can the state be justified? 

This edited volume invites contributions from researchers engaging with contemporary discussions on this question, focusing on developments from the 20th century to the present. The scope of the book is limited to the Western philosophical tradition. 

Submission Guidelines:

Proposed publication date: December 2026 

Deadline for abstract submission (approx. 150-300 words): July 15, 2025 

Submission deadline for final essays of accepted papers: January 15, 2026

Peer Review starts: March 15, 2026

Proposed publication date: December 2026 

The estimated word count for each essay is 5000-6000 words with the book being around 100,000 words: 15-20 chapters

Please send a notification of interest and your abstract to the editors at the contact information provided below. 

Gene Callahan (New York University): [email protected]

Leye Komolafe (University of South Carolina): [email protected]  [email protected]

Kindly find the supplementary document and link below for provisional titles and additional information.

https://github.com/gcallah/JustifyingTheState/blob/main/toc.md

For further inquiries, please contact the editors directly.