The Rebirth of Jewish Political Philosophy in a Time of World War: The Legacy of Hermann Cohen (1842–1918)

This project touches on Cohen’s novel interpretations of Jewish history, diaspora, and messianism, as well as on his legacy in twentieth-century philosophy in Europe, Israel, and North America. Based on new archival research conducted at the Auswärtiges Amt in Berlin into Cohen’s efforts to support the German war effort of 1914–1918, this study will be published as a series of articles on the politicization of the Jewish concepts of diaspora and messianism during World War I and its aftermath in Germany, and on the role Cohen’s thought played for the rebirth of Jewish political philosophy in the twentieth century. Three articles have been accepted and one has recently been published:

  • Martin Buber et le sionisme,” Commentaire 169(2020): 97–106.
  • Cedric Cohen Skalli, “Cohen’s Jewish and Imperial Politics during World War I,” in Hartwig Wiedebach and Heinrich Assel (eds.), Cohen im Netz in the prestigious German series Religion in Philosophy and Theology, Mohr-Siebeck, Tübingen (Forthcoming).
  • Cedric Cohen Skalli, “The Resort to Geistpolitik: Two of Buber’s Early Theological-Political Debates,” Journal of Ecumenical Studies (Forthcoming).