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Konstantinos Kavoulakos

Professor of Social and Political Philosophy, Philosophy of Culture

Office: 111
Office hours: upon request (kavoulakos@uoc.gr)
Phone: 28310 77228
Email: kavoulakos@phl.uoc.gr
Printable CV (.pdf)

Curriculum Vitae


Education

Konstantinos Kavoulakos was born in Athens in 1967. He studied Sociology at the Panteion University of Athens, and received his Ph.D. in Social and Political Philosophy from the same University in 1995 (title of dissertation: “Theory and Praxis: The Foundations of Reason and Critical Social Theory in the Work of J. Habermas”, published by Polis Publications in 1996).
During his graduate studies he cooperated with the Sector for Hermeneutics of the Institute for Philosophy of Freie Universität Berlin. He has been affiliated with the University of Crete as a lecturer (1998-2002) as an Assistant Professor of Social and Political Philosophy (2002-2012), and as an Associate Professor of Social and Political Philosophy/Philosophy of Culture. Since September 2018 he has been working as a Professor of Social and Political Philosophy/Philosophy of Culture at the same University.
K. Kavoulakos’s primary research interests are located in the areas of modern and contemporary social and political philosophy, Kant and German Idealism, philosophy and critique of culture, philosophy of history, theories on democracy, and critical theory. His current work is focused on an investigation of the 20th century tradition of critical social thought from a contemporary perspective. Ultimately, this research project aims at contributing to a critical re-evaluation of formalism in current critical social and political theorizing.


Publications (selected)

A. Books:

  1. Georg Lukács’ Philosophy of Praxis. Reconsidering his Early Marxist Work, Bloomsbury Academic: London and New York 2018 (https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/georg-lukacs-philosophy-of-praxis-9781474267472/).
  2. History and Praxis. Georg Lukács’ Philosophy of Praxis, Topos, Athens (forthcoming: 2018).
  3. Ästhetizistische Kulturkritik und ethische Utopie. Georg Lukács’ neukantianisches Frühwerk, ειδικός τόμος37 του Deutsche Zeitschrift für Philosophie, Akademie Verlag (de Gruyter): Berlin/Boston 2014. (http://www.degruyter.com/view/product/214903; reading sample)
  4. Tragedy and History. The Critique of Modern Culture in the Early Work of Georg Lukács (1902-1918), Alexandria: Athens 2012 (in Greek).
  5. Beyond Metaphysics and Scientism. The Interdisciplinary Materialism of Max Horkheimer, Alexandria: Athens 2001 (in Greek).
  6. Jürgen Habermas: The Foundations of Reason and Critical Social Theory, Polis: Athens 1996 (in Greek).

B. Edited books/translations:

  1. “Archiv: Georg Lukács und die ‘russische Idee’”, Deutsche Zeitschrift für Philosophie 61/4 (2013), σελ. 605-612 (mit Vorwort und zwei Archivalien). (reading sample: http://www.degruyter.com/view/j/dzph.2013.61.issue-4/dzph.2013.61.4.605/dzph.2013.61.4.605.xml)
  2. Hegel’s Phenomenology of Spirit. Interpretative approaches, (introduction-ed. K. Kavoulakos), Alexandria: Athens 2009 (in Greek).
  3. Special edition on G. Lukács: “From Aesthetics and Philosophy of Art to Revolutionary Marxism”, (preface-ed. K. Kavoulakos), Hypomnema in Philosophy 6 (2007) (in Greek). 
  4. Immanuel Kant: Practical Reason and Modernity, (introduction-ed. K. Kavoulakos), Alexandria: Athens 2006 (in Greek).
  5. G. Lukács, Reification and the Consciousness of the Proletariat, (introduction-translation-comments K. Kavoulakos), Ekkremes: Athens 2006 (in Greek).
  6. Critical Theory: Tradition and New Perspectives, (introduction-ed. K. Kavoulakos), Nissos: Athens 2003 (in Greek).
  7. A. Wellmer, Freedom in the Modern World. On the Hermeneutics of Democratic Culture, (introduction-translation: K. Kavoulakos), Alexandria: Athens 2001 (in Greek).
  8. A. Honneth, From Communication to Recognition. Towards a Renewal of Communicative Theory, (introduction-translation: K. Kavoulakos), Polis: Athens 2000 (in Greek).
  9. J. Habermas, The Ethics of Communication, (introduction-translation: K. Kavoulakos), Enallaktikes Ekdoseis: Athens 1997 (in Greek).

C. (Selected) Articles:

  1. «Unterwegs zu einer neuen Lektüre des frühen Werkes von Georg Lukács», Jahrbuch der Internationalen Georg-Lukács-Gesellschaft (forthcoming, 2018).
  2. «Reifying Reification. A Critique of Axel Honneth’s Theory of Reification», in: Volker Schmitz (ed.), Axel Honneth and the Future of Critical Theory, Palgrave Macmillan (forthcoming, 2018).
  3. «Georg Lukács’ Einfluss auf Cornelius Castoriadis’ Praxisphilosophie», in: Jannis Pissis (ed.), Deutschland und Griechenland im Spiegel der Philosophiegeschichte,Edition Romiosini, Berlin (forthcoming 2018).
  4. «Philosophy of Praxis or Philosophical Anthropology? Andrew Feenberg and Axel Honneth on Lukács’s Theory of Reification», in: Darrell Arnold, Andreas Michel (eds.), Theory and Practice: Critical Theory and the Work of Andrew Feenberg (Palgrave Macmillan [Springer International Publishing], Cham 2017), pp. 47-69.
  5. «Lukács’ Theory of Reification and the Tradition of Critical Theory», in: Michael Thompson (ed.), The Palgrave Macmillan Handbook of Critical Theory, Palgrave Macmillan, New York 2017, pp. 67-85.
  6. «Brief aus Griechenland», with Giorgos Zografidis, Deutsche Zeitschrift für Philosophie 64/3 (2016), pp. 452-464.
  7. “The Drama in an Age of Fragmentation. Towards a New Reading of Georg Lukács’s Evolutionary History of the Modern Drama”, New German Critique 42/1, 124 (2015), pp. 23-44. (abstract: http://ngc.dukejournals.org/content/42/1_124/23.abstract)
  8. „Ästhetizistische Kulturkritik. Literatur und Utopie in Lukács’ Entwicklungsgeschichte des modernen Dramas“, Lukács 2014/15. Jahrbuch der Internationalen Georg-Lukács-Gesellschaft, Aesthesis Verlag, Bielefeld 2015, pp. 211-231.
  9. „Essayistische Weltanschauungssuche durch Literaturkritik. Versuch einer neuen Lektüre von Georg Lukács’ Die Seele und die Formen“, Weimarer Beiträge 60/3 (2014), pp. 404-425.
  10. „Kritik der modernen Kultur und tragische Weltanschauung. Zu Georg Lukács’ Die Seele und die Formen“, Zeitschrift für Kulturphilosophie 8/1 (2014), pp. 121-135). (reading sample)
  11. „Literatur, Geschichtsphilosophie und utopische Ethik. Georg Lukács’ frühes Dostojewski-Projekt“, Deutsche Zeitschrift für Philosophie 61/4 (2013), pp. 479-503.
  12. “Historicity and Temporality of the Literary Forms. Methodological Presuppositions of Georg Lukács’s Early Work”, Axiologika 27 (2012), pp. 7-26
  13. “Zur Rekonstruktion der Lukácsschen Geschichtsphilosophie der 20er Jahre”, Lukács 2012/2013.Jahrbuch der Internationalen Georg-Lukács-Gesellschaft, Aisthesis Verlag, Bielefeld 2012, pp. 105-122.
  14. “Back to History? Reinterpreting Lukács’ Early Marxist Work in Light of the Antinomies of Contemporary Critical Theory”, in: M.J. Thompson (ed.), Lukács Reconsidered. Critical Essays in Politics, Philosophy and Aesthetics, Continuum, New York and London 2011, pp. 189-215 (in English).
  15. “Critical Theory between Frankfurt and New York”, in: A. Labropoulos and A. Balasopoulos (ed.), Spaces of Theory. History and Geography of Critical Narratives, Metaichmio, Athens, pp. 139-163 (in Greek).
  16. “Geist und Revolution“, in: Andreas Arndt, Jure Zovko (ed.), Geist - Erkundungen zu einem Begriff, Wehrhahn Verlag: Hannover 2009,  pp. 105-108.
  17. “Lukács’ geschichtsphilosophische Wende: Über ihre Aktualität vierzig Jahre nach 1968”, in: R. Dannemann (ed.), Georg Lukács und 1968. Eine Spurensuche, special issue of Jahrbuch der Internationalen Georg-Lukács-Gesellschaft, Aisthesis Verlag: Bielefeld 2009, pp. 189-215.
  18. “Three Versions of Contemporary Critical Theory: Formalism, Historicism and Philosophical Anthropology”, Ariadne 14 (2008), pp. 235-250 (in Greek).
  19. “Between the Dualism of Morality and the Holism of Philosophy of History. Lukács’ Turn to Revolutionary Marxism”, in: M. Aggelidis, S. Dimitriou and A. Lavranu (ed.), Theory, Values and Critique, Polis, Athens 2008, pp. 252-269 (in Greek).
  20. “Horkheimer and Adorno: Open or Negative Dialectics?”, Ariadne 13 (2007), pp. 147-157  (in Greek).
    (Abstract available in PDF format)
  21. “Political Ethics, Consciousness and Cultural Totalization. Lukács’ Turn to Revolutionary Marxism”, Hypomnema in Philosophy 6 (2007), pp. 153-194 (in Greek)
  22. “Freedom and democratic politics in the thought of C. Castoriadis”, in: A. Potamianou et. al., Psyche, Logos, Polis. Tribute to Cornelius Castoriadis, Hypsilon: Athens 2007, pp. 215-228 (in Greek).
  23. “Cornelius Castoriadis on Social Imaginary and Truth”, Ariadne 12 (2006), pp. 201-213 (in English).
    (Full text available in PDF format)
  24. “From Habermas to Horkheimer’s Early Work. Directions for a Materialist Reconstruction of Communicative Critical Theory”, Telos 130 (2005), pp. 39-62 (in English). (Full text available in PDF format)
    Republished in: D.M. Rasmussen and J. Swindal (ed.), Habermas II, vol. I, Sage, Los Angeles 2010, pp. 419-440.
  25. “Critical Theory and Hermeneutics: Limits of the Hermeneutic Critique of the Formalism of Communicative Critical Theory”, Ariadne 11 (2005), pp. 259-283 (in Greek).
    (Abstract available in PDF format)
  26. “Communicative Reason and Human Rights. The Concept of Human Rights in Communicative Critical Theory”, Revue Hellénique des Droits de l’ Homme, special issue II (2004), pp. 189-217 (in Greek).
  27. “The Translation and the Interpretation of the First Stasimon of Antigone by Martin Heidegger”, Ariadne 10 (2004), pp. 49-70 (in Greek).
  28. “Ruptured Formalism. The Challenge of Bioethics and the Limits of Moral Formalism», Radical Philosophy 125 (2004), pp. 37-45 (in English). Greek version: «The Challenge of Bioethics and the Limits of Moral Formalism. Habermas’ Defense of Human Nature», in: Defkalion 22/1 (2004), pp. 43-64.
  29. “Castoriadis’ Critique of the Marxist Philosophy of History”, Nea Koinoniologia 31 (2000), pp. 37-45 (in Greek).
  30. “Truth, History and Society in the Thought of C. Castoriadis”, Nea Estia 1722 (2000), pp. 607-630 (in Greek).
  31. “NATO Intervention in Yugoslavia: Prelude to ‘Perpetual Peace’?”, Democracy and Nature 1 (2000), pp. 55-72 (in English).
    (Full text available in PDF format)
  32. “Constitutional State and Democracy. On Juergen Habermas’s Between Facts and Norms, Radical Philosophy 96 (1999), pp. 33-41 (in English). (Abstract)
    Greek version: “Rule of Law and Democracy in J. Habermas”, Axiologika 13 (2000), pp. 70-93.
  33. “Balkan Reality and ‘Multiculturalism’. Ideological Dimensions of the NATO-Intervention in Kosovo”, in: The Balkan yesterday/today, Etairia Spoudon Neoellinikou Politismou kai Genikis Paideias, Athens 2000, pp. 179-189 (in Greek).
  34. “Social Ontology and Critical Theory. Some Thoughts on the Social Philosophy of P. Kondylis”, Nea Estia1717 (1999), pp. 533-537 (in Greek).
  35. “Communicative Reason and Critical Social Theory”, Koinonia Politon 2 (1999), pp. 59-67 (in Greek).
  36. “Public Use of History and Collective Identity. On the ‘Dispute of the Historians’ in Germany”, Mnemon 20 (1998), pp. 179-189 (in Greek).
  37. “Nature, Science and Technology in Habermas”, Democracy and Nature 1 (1998), pp. 112-145 (in English).
    (Full text available in PDF format)
  38. “The Habermas-Gadamer Dispute and the ‘Theoretical Turn’ of Critical Theory”, Revue of Social Research 92-93 (1997), pp. 93-108 (in Greek).
  39. “The Validity of Reason in Habermas”, Bema ton Koinonikon Epistemon 20 (1996), pp. 149-174 (in Greek).
  40. “The Relationship of Realism and Utopianism in the Theories on Democracy of Habermas and Castoriadis”, Society and Nature 3 (1994), pp. 69-97 (in English).
    (Full text available in PDF format)