The Legacy of Phenomenology in Central and Eastern Europe in 1945–89

This volume is a presentation and a critical reassessment of the legacy of post-war phenomenology in Central and Eastern Europe before the fall of the Berlin Wall, i.e., before the end of the East/West division. This period is unique in that many scholars from Central and Eastern Europe did not have the opportunity to introduce their contributions and innovations to international audiences. This book can be used as a reference to a wide range of redefinitions, developments, applications, and reevaluations of phenomenology in Central Europe. Included are coverage of important works, figures, or schools of thought. This text explores how the writings of, for instance, Edmund Husserl, Max Scheler, Edith Stein, Martin Heidegger, Maurice Merleau-Ponty, and Jean-Paul Sartre resonated within the philosophy of Central and Eastern Europe. This volume explores original post-war contributions of, to indicate a few, Alexandru Dragomir, Roman Ingarden, Constantin Noica, Jan Patocka, Gajo Petrovic, Vasily Seseman, Mihály Vajda, and their accounts and use of phenomenology. It addresses the question of how phenomenology was used in other disciplines, not only in confrontation with Marxism, but with other leading currents of the time. Doing so provides a comprehensive overview of the heritage of the phenomenological movement in Central and Eastern Europe in 1945–89 that explores theories of major and less well-known figures in the field who are commonly regarded as phenomenologists or scholars who used phenomenology as their method or as a point of reference. Chapters on these figures explore the main points of their theories in chronological order and in the contexts which shaped their theories. This book appeals to researchers and students in the field.