Cosmoliteratures: Cosmopolitanisms in Literatures, Literatures in Cosmopolitanisms
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Cosmoliteratures: Cosmopolitanisms in Literatures, Literatures in Cosmopolitanisms
Editors: Sousa, Rui | Nour Sckell, Soraya
Beiträge zur Politischen Wissenschaft, Vol. 208
(2025)
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Abstract
Cosmopolitanism has often been regarded as an ideal of openness, dialogue, and universality, yet it remains fraught with contradictions. While aspiring to transcend borders and affirm a shared human condition, it has frequently been entangled with histories of exclusion, imperialism, and uneven power dynamics. This volume brings together perspectives from literature and political philosophy to critically examine the tensions at the heart of cosmopolitan thought.In literature, cosmopolitanism appears as both a promise and a paradox - expressed through narratives that celebrate cultural encounters but also expose hierarchies and asymmetries. From Camões to Woolf and Conrad, writers have explored the complexities of belonging, displacement, and the limits of global exchange. Their works reflect the ambivalence of a cosmopolitan imagination that both embraces and questions the possibilities of interconnectedness.In political philosophy, the debate extends to issues of citizenship, law, and democracy: to what extent can cosmopolitan ideals challenge national frameworks, and where do they risk reinforcing exclusion under the guise of universality? Thinkers from Kant to Appiah have interrogated the ethical and political dilemmas of cosmopolitanism, revealing its potential to expand solidarity beyond borders while also highlighting its structural limitations. Rather than presenting a singular vision, this book explores cosmopolitanism as a site of tension - between openness and exclusion, universality and particularity, theory and lived experience. By confronting these contradictions, it invites a deeper reflection on the possibilities and limits of a world shaped by interconnected yet unequal histories.Cosmopolitanism aspires to openness and universality, yet it is fraught with contradictions. While seeking to transcend borders, it has often concealed exclusions and hierarchies. This volume explores these tensions through literature and political philosophy, examining how writers and philosophers - from Camões to Woolf and Conrad, from Kant to Appiah - have engaged with belonging, power, and identity. Rather than a fixed ideal, cosmopolitanism emerges as a contested space, shaped by both connection and inequality.
Table of Contents
| Section Title | Page | Action | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Table of Content | 5 | ||
| Introduction | 7 | ||
| Nuno Miguel Proença: The “Lusiads Effect”: a Tension Towards Imperialism or Cosmopolitanism? | 13 | ||
| Voyage Versus Foundation, Cosmopolitan Pluralism Versus Imperialistic Sameness | 22 | ||
| References | 30 | ||
| Pedro António Monteiro Franco: The Ambiguous Cosmopolitanism of Joseph Conrad. A Reading of Heart of Darkness | 31 | ||
| Introduction | 31 | ||
| I. Conrad's Life and the Origins of Heart of Darkness | 31 | ||
| II. Plot Summary | 33 | ||
| III. Political Influence: Heart of Darkness and the Congo Reform Movement | 34 | ||
| IV. “Make us See” – What Does it Mean | 35 | ||
| V. Civilization and Authenticity | 36 | ||
| Bibliography | 38 | ||
| Marco Bucaioni: How Do you Say “Afropolitan” in Portuguese? African Literatures, Black-Portuguese Literature and Afropolitanism | 41 | ||
| Introduction | 41 | ||
| In Favour and Against Afropolitanism | 42 | ||
| Should we Say Afropolitan in Portuguese? | 43 | ||
| You Don't Say Afropolitan in Portuguese (so Far) | 48 | ||
| References | 50 | ||
| Sara Fernandes: Virginia Woolf & the Cosmopolitan Self | 51 | ||
| Bibliography | 62 | ||
| Soraya Nour Sckell: The Invention of the Self and of the Cosmos: Cosmology and Poetics of the Self in the Work of Paulo Cardoso | 65 | ||
| Bibliography | 75 | ||
| Márcio Suzuki: What Does it Mean to be Cosmopolitan? A Note on the History of the Concept | 77 | ||
| Connecting the Ancient and the Modern: Shaftesbury | 79 | ||
| Bibliography | 84 | ||
| Helena Inácio: The Global Constitutionalization Undertaken by the United Nations | 87 | ||
| I. Introduction | 87 | ||
| II. Global constitutionalism theoretical framework | 88 | ||
| III. The UN-led International Human Rights Regime | 93 | ||
| IV. Conclusion | 98 | ||
| Bibliography | 100 | ||
| Legal Sources | 101 | ||
| Lasha Kharazi: Univocity and Cosmopolitanism | 103 | ||
| I. Preliminary Question Concerning the Essential Politicality of Philosophy | 103 | ||
| II. Philosophy of Univocity | 105 | ||
| III. Politics of cosmopolitanism | 108 | ||
| Bibliography | 110 | ||
| Pedro António Monteiro Franco: Tradition and Cosmopolitanism in Alasdair MacIntyre and Kwame Anthony Appiah | 113 | ||
| I. | 113 | ||
| II. | 115 | ||
| III. | 119 | ||
| Bibliography | 120 | ||
| Marco Russo: A Broad-Minded Way of Thinking. Cosmological Perspectives in Kantian Cosmopolitanism | 121 | ||
| I. Cosmopolitanism Taken Literally | 121 | ||
| II. Conceptus Cosmicus | 123 | ||
| III. Pragmatic World | 126 | ||
| IV. A Broad-Minded Way of Thinking | 128 | ||
| V. The World as a Cosmopolitan Subject | 129 | ||
| Bibliography | 132 | ||
| Biographies | 135 |
Chapters
Table of Content
In: Cosmoliteratures: Cosmopolitanisms in Literatures, Literatures in Cosmopolitanisms (2025), pp. 5–6
Introduction
In: Cosmoliteratures: Cosmopolitanisms in Literatures, Literatures in Cosmopolitanisms (2025), pp. 7–12
The Ambiguous Cosmopolitanism of Joseph Conrad
In: Cosmoliteratures: Cosmopolitanisms in Literatures, Literatures in Cosmopolitanisms (2025), pp. 31–40
How Do you Say “Afropolitan” in Portuguese?
In: Cosmoliteratures: Cosmopolitanisms in Literatures, Literatures in Cosmopolitanisms (2025), pp. 41–50
Virginia Woolf & the Cosmopolitan Self
In: Cosmoliteratures: Cosmopolitanisms in Literatures, Literatures in Cosmopolitanisms (2025), pp. 51–64
What Does it Mean to be Cosmopolitan?
In: Cosmoliteratures: Cosmopolitanisms in Literatures, Literatures in Cosmopolitanisms (2025), pp. 77–86
The Global Constitutionalization Undertaken by the United Nations
In: Cosmoliteratures: Cosmopolitanisms in Literatures, Literatures in Cosmopolitanisms (2025), pp. 87–102
Univocity and Cosmopolitanism
In: Cosmoliteratures: Cosmopolitanisms in Literatures, Literatures in Cosmopolitanisms (2025), pp. 103–112
A Broad-Minded Way of Thinking
In: Cosmoliteratures: Cosmopolitanisms in Literatures, Literatures in Cosmopolitanisms (2025), pp. 121–134
Biographies
In: Cosmoliteratures: Cosmopolitanisms in Literatures, Literatures in Cosmopolitanisms (2025), pp. 135–138