Semi-Peripheral Theory | Tendencies of Contemporary Theory Production in Central, Eastern and Southeastern Europe

Whether surprisingly or not, the gaze of theory is still largely directed to the West and, more recently, the South. With the famous exception of the Ljubljana School, recent theory produced in Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe is hardly ever translated into the hegemonic languages of contemporary theory and hence barely circulates beyond its immediate context of production. Moreover, when theory from these regions is brought into focus after all, Western curiosity frequently reproduces common narratives of a region in permanent crisis (authoritarianism, poverty, war, etc.), glossing over the possibility and reality of theory production outside of the crisis mode.

As a modest contribution to a possible remedy for this condition, ZfL’s Program Areas History of Theory and World Literature have decided to launch this joint working group. In about five sessions per year, we will invite theorists to present and discuss recent work, creating a network of sustainable relations that will grow over time and produce opportunities for future cooperation.

Fig. above: © Moritz Gansen