Call for book chapters

Call for book chapters on the philosophical concept of play

Vernon Press invites book chapters to be included in a forthcoming scholarly volume on the philosophical concept of play edited by Jeremy Sampson (author of  “Being Played: Gadamer and Philosophy’s Hidden Dynamic”). Contributions from all disciplines are encouraged to be submitted, as long as the chapter contains a clear philosophical component.

The volume will focus on the universality of the philosophical ludics. Chapters should focus on either: the role of play in Post-Enlightenment philosophy; the influence of ludic theory on academic disciplines, such as Literature, Theology, History, Aesthetics, and Law; or how ludic theory impacts upon contemporary issues, such as terrorism and security, geo-politics and identity, climate change, the internet, sport, and e-sports.

Deadlines

Abstracts Due: March 24, 2020
Notification of Acceptance: April 24, 2020
Finalized Draft Due: September 24, 2020
Finalized Paper: December 24, 2020

Submission Details

Proposals should be between 300-700 words, and should clearly describe the author’s thesis and provide an overview of the proposed chapter’s structure. All proposals should be prepared for blind review, removing any reference to the author. As a separate document, authors should provide a short CV containing contact information and relevant publications, presentations, and/or research. Please email questions and submissions to Jeremy Sampson at carthaginian.traveller@live.co.uk

Rationale for the Volume

There are a number of reasons why this volume should entertain such a broad scope of interests. Firstly, Johan Huizinga in his book "Homo Ludens" (1944) (translated: "Man the Player") argues persuasively that play is universal and it is at the core of humanity's being. He argues that even in serious arenas, such as the battlefield or the courtroom the ritualization of play is ubiquitous and interwoven into human behaviour. Secondly, as Hans Georg Gadamer argued for the universality of philosophical hermeneutics, so I would argue for the universal presence of ludic theory or alternatively, the universality of philosophical ludics.

Fundamentally, the volume would be exploring how universal is philosophical ludics and why the philosophical concept of play is so interwoven into humanity's being. Although, play has been explored before as a philosophical concept, namely by postmodernism, the conclusion was to depict it as either relativistic or nihilistic in nature. That conclusion, I argued in "Being Played", was somewhat simplistic. The universality of play as a philosophical dynamic could breathe new life into intellectual engagement, challenging established metanarratives.

Jeremy Sampson