CFP: Anthology of Speculative Philosophy & Speculative Horror

We are seeking proposals for an edited anthology of essays from current theorists, philosophers, writers, and artists working at the crossroads of speculative philosophy and speculative horror. With the recent advent of speculative realism, post-continental philosophy, anti-phenomenology, non-philosophy, and related fields of inquiry, speculative philosophy is just now catching up to speculative horror and beginning to consider themes of anonymity, otherness, the alien, the monstrous, the world without us, extinction, the end of the world, and the like. Kant’s “critical philosophy,” insofar as it serves as a defense against what might be considered madness (viz., the horrific), against the “diseases of the head” — as Kant puts it, is being called into question by those willing to think being without thought, the absoluteat thought’s expense, the macabre at sanity’s peril, and the alien at the cost of the discourse of normativity. Speculative horror serves as a fertile place of development for those philosophies which seek to push back against the Kantian injunction and speculate anew.

            This anthology seeks to engage that fertile place of development, engaging as many distinct voices as possible at the intersection of horror and speculative philosophy. From philosophers working on horrific themes, to writers of horror or weird fiction considering the new speculative philosophy, to artists crafting words, objects, and artefacts which investigate and explore concepts of alienation and monstrosity, this anthology poses these questions: Where do horror and philosophy meet?, What is found at that meeting place?, What does it mean to say that the “real” is horrific?, What must be considered in relation to thinking the extinction of thought?, How can philosophy aid us in regard to examining the end of the world?, What sort of future developments await us in the stygian abyss of philosophy after Kant?, What is the relevance of concepts such as the “alien,” the “monstrous,” “mutation,” the “unheimlich,” etc.?, and so on. 

            This collection of essays aims to articulate the cutting-edge, as contemporary and up-and-coming theorists share their present thoughts on the aforementioned questions. It includes both scholars who are well-known and established in the field, as well as new theorists and writers who are just beginning to make a substantial impact in the world of speculative philosophy, speculative horror, and the space in which they meet, theorists who are just now taking their seat at the table. This anthology, altogether, aims at nothing less than a speculative coup d'état contra the Kantian prohibition (against the “diseases of the head”) and the critical philosophy which follows from that prohibition, a philosophy which maintains and serves to bolster a veritable mélange of anthropocentrisms, correlationisms, idealisms, contextualisms, post-modernisms, and the like.

The aforementioned questions are suggested topics, and proposals on other topics are additionally welcome.

Interested contributors should send a title, an abstract (500-1000 words), and a CV for each author (or co-author) to [email protected].

Accepted proposals will be submitted to the published (Punctum) for review. If the proposal is accepted, authors will be invited to submit a manuscript for peer review. Publication will be contingent upon successful peer-review.

The deadline for proposal submissions is July 5, 2018.

The deadline for manuscripts of accepted proposals is October 30, 2018.

The date of expected publication is 2019-2020.