Cosmo-Nationalism: American, French and German Philosophy - Paperback

by Oisín Keohane (Author)

The idea of national philosophy carries in it a strange contradiction. We talk about 'German philosophy' or 'American philosophy'. But philosophy has always pictured itself to be the project of universality. It presents itself as something that takes place outside or beyond the national - ultimately detachable from language, culture and history.
So why do we assign nationalities to philosophies? Building on Jacques Derrida's unpublished seminars on philosophical nationalism, Oisín Keohane claims that national philosophies are a variant of some form of cosmo-nationalism: a strain of nationalism that uses, rather than opposes, ideas in cosmopolitanism to advance the aims of one nation.

Back Jacket

Studies the rise of national philosophies and their impact on cosmopolitanism and nationalism The idea of national philosophy carries in it a strange contradiction. On the one hand, we are accustomed to speaking of 'German philosophy' or 'American philosophy'. On the other hand, philosophy has always pictured itself to be the project of universality, and has presented itself as something that takes place outside or beyond the national - something that is ultimately detachable from language, culture and history. So what does assigning a nationality to philosophy mean? And what role do nationalism and cosmopolitanism play in these national philosophies? Building on Jacques Derrida's unpublished seminars on philosophical nationalism, Oisín Keohane claims that national philosophies are a variant of some form of cosmo-nationalism - a strain of nationalism that utilises, rather than opposes, ideas in cosmopolitanism to advance the aims of one particular nation. Oisín Keohane is a Lecturer in Philosophy at the University of Dundee. Cover image: courtesy of the artist Yang Yongliang, Heavenly City - Skyscraper, 天空之城 - 通天塔, 2008, photography Cover design: [EUP logo] edinburghuniversitypress.com ISBN 978-1-4744-3115-6 Barcode

Author Biography

Oisín Keohane is Lecturer in Philosophy at the University of Dundee. Previously, he was Mellon Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Toronto, IASH Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Edinburgh and NRF Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Johannesburg.