Allgemeine Zeitschrift für Philosophie: Heft 51.3/2026

The form of dialectical thinking coined by Hegel is accused of only taking up the diverse, sometimes violent contradictions of modernity in order to ultimately resolve them in »absolute knowledge.« Decolonial and feminist critiques of the European theoretical tradition emphasize that under global, modern-capitalist conditions, the »transmodern Other« (Enrique Dussel) is not recognized. This special issue participates in this debate and examines Hegel’s relationship to racism and colonialism from a critical and updated perspective on his thinking. Are colonial and racist structures inscribed in Hegel’s dialectical method—or can they be detached from it? What possibilities does Hegel’s dialectic open up for the decolonization of its own structures—and at what points does this critique reach its limits? In dialogue with current approaches from abolitionist, anti-racist, feminist, and decolonial perspectives, the issue explores what a reinterpretation of dialectics might look like that overcomes hegemonic exclusions and opens up new spaces for emancipatory thinking.