Editorial Profile · Subject Coverage
Aims & Scope
宗旨與範圍
Universitas: Monthly Review of Philosophy and Culture publishes rigorous and original scholarship across philosophy, history, historiography, literature, political thought, culture, aesthetics, art and the full range of cultural studies.
Journal Aim
Advancing philosophy and the humanities through historical and intercultural inquiry
The journal aims to deepen knowledge of philosophical ideas, historical experience, literary expression and cultural creativity. It supports research that interprets primary sources, reassesses established debates, introduces overlooked intellectual traditions and connects humanistic scholarship with the ethical, political and cultural questions of contemporary life.
Its scope is deliberately broad within the humanities. The journal welcomes disciplinary and interdisciplinary studies provided that they present a clear research problem, employ an appropriate scholarly method, engage responsibly with relevant sources and literature, and offer an original contribution to philosophical, historical, literary or cultural understanding.
The journal encourages dialogue among Chinese, Asian, European and other world traditions. It is open to studies covering ancient, medieval, early modern, modern and contemporary periods, as well as comparative research crossing regions, languages, civilizations and schools of thought.
Develop original knowledge
Publish research that advances interpretation, theory, methodology or historical understanding.
Connect intellectual traditions
Promote comparative and intercultural engagement among Chinese, Asian, Western and global thought.
Preserve and reinterpret heritage
Support critical work on texts, archives, cultural memory, artistic legacies and civilizational traditions.
Address contemporary questions
Apply humanistic reflection to ethical, political, social, technological and cultural transformations.
Core Fields
Principal areas of publication
Philosophy
Systematic, historical and comparative philosophical research.
- Metaphysics and ontology
- Epistemology and philosophy of science
- Logic and philosophy of language
- Ethics and moral philosophy
- Phenomenology, hermeneutics and existentialism
- Chinese, Asian and Western philosophy
History & Historiography
Research on historical processes and the theory and practice of writing history.
- Intellectual and cultural history
- History of civilizations and institutions
- Historiographical schools and methods
- Historical memory and public history
- Archives, manuscripts and source criticism
- Comparative and transnational history
Literature & Literary Studies
Historical, philosophical and cultural interpretation of literary production.
- Literary theory and criticism
- Comparative and world literature
- Classical and modern texts
- Poetics, narrative and genre
- Literature, identity and memory
- Translation and reception studies
Political Philosophy
Normative and historical inquiry into political ideas and institutions.
- Justice, freedom and equality
- Power, authority and legitimacy
- Democracy and citizenship
- Human rights and political ethics
- State, society and political culture
- Classical and modern political thought
Culture & Cultural Studies
The full range of theoretical, historical and comparative cultural inquiry.
- Cultural theory and culturology
- Identity, representation and ideology
- Ritual, symbols and everyday life
- Cultural memory and heritage
- Intercultural communication
- Modernity, globalization and cultural change
Aesthetics & Philosophy of Art
Philosophical and cultural research on artistic experience and creation.
- Theories of beauty and aesthetic judgment
- Visual arts, music, theatre and cinema
- Architecture and material culture
- Art criticism and interpretation
- Traditional and contemporary arts
- Art, technology and society
Religion & Spiritual Traditions
Humanistic investigation of religious ideas, texts and practices.
- Philosophy of religion
- Theology and religious thought
- Comparative religion
- Religion, ethics and culture
- Sacred texts and hermeneutics
- Spirituality and human experience
Great Thinkers & Cultural Figures
Focused studies of influential individuals and their intellectual legacies.
- Philosophers and political thinkers
- Historians and historiographers
- Writers, poets and critics
- Artists, architects and composers
- Religious and educational figures
- Reception, influence and intellectual biography
Interdisciplinary Humanities
Research connecting philosophy and culture with adjacent fields.
- Philosophy and education
- Law, ethics and political thought
- Media, communication and digital culture
- Technology, artificial intelligence and humanity
- Environment, place and cultural landscape
- Gender, society and cultural representation
Additional Themes
Topics welcomed by the journal
- Ancient, medieval, early modern, modern and contemporary thought
- Confucianism, Daoism, Buddhism and other Asian intellectual traditions
- Classical Greek, Roman, Christian, Islamic and European philosophical traditions
- Marxism, critical theory and contemporary social philosophy
- Colonialism, postcolonialism and decolonial perspectives
- National, regional and transnational cultural identities
- Cultural diplomacy and encounters among civilizations
- Myth, folklore, oral tradition and intangible heritage
- Museums, monuments, archives and heritage preservation
- Historical consciousness and collective memory
- Biography and intellectual biography of major personalities
- Canonical works and neglected or marginalized voices
- Textual criticism, manuscript studies and philosophical translation
- Language, meaning, discourse and cultural interpretation
- Education, human formation and philosophy of pedagogy
- Ethics of science, technology, artificial intelligence and digital life
- Environmental humanities and philosophy of nature
- Urban culture, architecture and philosophy of space
- Film, photography, media arts and visual culture
- Music, performance and embodied aesthetic experience
Types of Contribution
Scholarly works considered
Submissions should correspond to the journal’s subject profile and follow the current instructions for authors. Depending on editorial planning, the journal may consider the following forms of scholarly contribution:
Editorial Relevance
What belongs within the journal’s scope?
Suitable submissions
- Present a clear philosophical, historical, literary or cultural research question.
- Use appropriate primary and secondary sources.
- Demonstrate familiarity with relevant international scholarship.
- Explain their method and original contribution.
- Connect evidence, interpretation and argument coherently.
- Comply with research and publication ethics.
Normally outside scope
- Purely technical or descriptive reports without a humanities research question.
- Clinical, laboratory or biomedical studies lacking philosophical or cultural analysis.
- Political commentary without scholarly method and documentation.
- Uncritical biographies that do not advance historical or intellectual understanding.
- Manuscripts based on unsupported claims, plagiarism or fabricated evidence.
- Promotional, polemical or non-academic material.
中文範圍摘要
本刊徵稿領域
本刊涵蓋哲學、歷史、史學理論、文學、政治哲學、文化研究、美學、藝術哲學、宗教思想、思想史、文化遺產及跨學科人文研究。歡迎探討重要哲學家、歷史學家、文學家、藝術家、宗教人物及其他傑出文化人物之思想、作品、時代背景、影響與接受史。
來稿應提出明確研究問題，採用適當方法與可靠資料，並對既有學術討論作出原創貢獻。本刊鼓勵中西思想對話、跨文化比較及連結經典傳統與當代議題之研究。