The Best Philosophical Book of 2021 was written by an Employee of the Institute of Philosophy SAS
The Association of American Publishers presented the winners of the prestigious 46th annual international competition PROSE, which awards the best scholarly and scientific works published in 2021. The winner in the Philosophy category was Jon Stewart from the Institute of Philosophy SAS with his book Hegel’s Century: Alienation and Recognition in a Time of Revolution, published by the acclaimed Cambridge University Press. This is the first time that an employee of one of the SAS organisations has received this important award.
“I humbly consider this award a valuable recognition of my research, but I have to share it with all those who have kindly helped and supported me at the level of the leadership of SAS and my institute. Without them, my book would never have been possible,” said Jon Stewart.
This year, a jury of 24 experts judged more than 560 entries and selected 106 finalists. It then determined 39 winners of individual categories who can also apply for the next level of the PROSE award – the Award for Excellence.
The award-winning publication, Hegel’s Century: Alienation and Recognition in a Time of Revolution, is a panoramic study of the profound influence of the German philosopher Georg W. F. Hegel on the nineteenth century. In it, the author traces how this century has contributed to the wider history of philosophy. It shows how Hegel's notions of "alienation" and "recognition" became the central motifs of the thinking of the time; how they spread to religion, politics, literature, and drama; and how they created a rich and ubiquitous cultural phenomenon that can be called “Hegel's Century.” Reviewers and critics recommend this work as a must-read for historians of ideas as well as philosophers, graduate students, and researchers in these fields.
Jon Stewart is an American philosopher and historian of philosophy. He studied at the University of California and has worked at several research institutes, including the Catholic University of Leuven, the Humboldt University in Berlin, and the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University. Since 2018, he has been working as a researcher at the Institute of Philosophy SAS.
In his research, he specialises in Continental philosophy of the 19th century with an emphasis on the ideas of S. Kierkegaard and G. W. F. Hegel. His work is broadly interdisciplinary and also touches on religion, literature, history, and Scandinavian studies. His philosophical corpus includes research monographs, translations, and numerous edited works. He is also known for his role as leader of large research projects.