Topic: Wege zur Phänomenologie / Paths to Phenomenology

Guest Editor for this issue: Wenliang Song (Zhejiang University)

The philosophy journal Eksistenz is now inviting submissions for its 2026 issue titled “Wege zur Phänomenologie” (Paths to Phenomenology), scheduled for publication in June 2026.

Is a phenomenology — and a philosophy of phenomenology — possible? If so, how? Through which paths may one enter phenomenology? These questions were central to Edmund Husserl’s lifelong philosophical pursuit. The very titles of his works — The Idea of Phenomenology (1907), Ideas Pertaining to a Pure Phenomenology and to a Phenomenological Philosophy (1913), and Cartesian Meditations (1931) — reveal this persistent inquiry. The discussion has continued in Husserl scholarship, exploring the Cartesian path, the path of the life-world, and the path of descriptive psychology.

Some scholars have further elaborated on the Leibnizian path to phenomenology in their lectures and writings. Given that phenomenology remains an open and developing discipline, questions about its possibility — and the paths through which it may unfold — remain highly pertinent. We therefore invite contributions that engage with this theme from a variety of philosophical perspectives.

Possible topics include (but are not limited to):

• Reconsidering Husserl’s various “paths” to phenomenology
• Comparative studies of different approaches (Cartesian, psychological, transcendental, or Leibnizian)
• The relation between the “idea” and the “method” of phenomenology
• The possibility of phenomenology as a first philosophy
• Paths to phenomenology beyond Husserl (e.g., Heidegger, Merleau-Ponty, Levinas)
• The methodological and historical implications of “entering” phenomenology

Submission Guidelines

Languages: English, German, or Chinese

Length:

• English or German manuscripts: 5,000–12,500 words
• Chinese manuscripts: 10,000–25,000 characters

Format: Word document (.doc or .docx)

Submission email: submission@eksistenz.net

Deadline: January 31, 2026

Each submission should include:

• Article title
• Author information (name, affiliation, email)
• Abstract (approx. 200 words)
• Keywords

Additional Notes

• Submissions must be original and unpublished.
• All manuscripts will undergo rigorous peer review.
• The editorial board reserves the right to suggest revisions.

We warmly invite your contributions and look forward to advancing together the discussion on the many paths to phenomenology.

Eksistenz Editorial Team