Rethinking Intellectual History in East-Central Europe: Capitalizing on Eclecticism (An Introduction)

This overview provides insights into the articles featured in the thematic issue, accompanied by additional elaboration on the theme of rethinking intellectual history in the East-Central Europe region. The period covered stretches from the first half of the nineteenth century to the history of post-communist transformation and within that time span, an extended conversation with global history, philosophy, sociology and other fields runs through the phenomena scrutinized here. The articles presented in this issue aim to both enrich and contribute to the intellectual history tradition of the region. Simultaneously, they actively participate in ongoing debates on de-canonizing political thought, traditionally more inclined towards the examination of great philosophical and scholarly traditions. While such endeavours are not unprecedented, the current issue seeks to communicate new perspectives, introduce lesser-known actors and concepts, and position them within the current and developing activities that have recently emerged in the field of intellectual history in East-Central Europe.