About Telos

Prescient, timely, provocative, and independent: Telos is a must-read for anyone with a serious interest in politics, philosophy, critical theory, and culture.

Since 1968, the quarterly journal Telos has served as the definitive international forum for discussions of political, social, and cultural change. Readers from around the globe turn to Telos to engage with the sharpest minds in politics and philosophy, and to discover emerging theoretical analyses of the pivotal issues of the day.

Over its long history, Telos has charted new territory in political and philosophical analysis. Contributors to the journal have pioneered the critical frameworks necessary for interpreting the unfolding transformations in the world at large. From its studies of dissidence in Eastern Europe during the Soviet era, to its investigations into the history and ideology of global terrorism, to its rigorous critiques of authoritarian regimes, Telos has consistently been at the forefront of the political-philosophical discussion.

As Paul Piccone‘s life-long project, Telos has occupied a crucial position in the English‑speaking world’s analyses and applications of contemporary critical theory. Since beginning at SUNY-Buffalo on May 1, 1968, with a tiny group of graduate students in charge of its content and direction, it has afforded an enduring outlet for many unorthodox thinkers from Europe, North America, and elsewhere to question the common beliefs about the Cold War, leftist mass politics, sixties’ radicalism, modern research universities, American democracy, Eastern European Communism, popular culture, the expanding European Union, and the New Left. Under the editorships of Russell Berman (2004–2019) and David Pan (2019–present), Telos has continued to advance this commitment to exploring the complex interactions of philosophy and politics, broadly understood, beyond disciplinary narrowness or orthodox opinions.

TELOSscope is our official blog, authored by a variety of Telos editors, authors, interns, and occasional guest bloggers. Released from the time constraints of the publication cycle, TELOSscope bloggers engage more directly with current events, bringing the insights and analytical tools of critical theory to bear on more immediate contemporary concerns. Your comments are welcomed, and indeed encouraged, on all posts. With TELOSscope, we also try to keep readers informed about new publications, events, and other matters of interest to the Telos Press community.

TELOSthreads is an ongoing blogging project designed to draw our readers’ attention to the rich depth of thinking and writing found in the Telos archives, now available online. Several times each month, our bloggers revisit articles from the Telos archives, drawing attention to the significance of the articles themselves as well as their relevance to present-day concerns. TELOSthreads also serves as an opportunity for younger scholars to publish short pieces of writing while also learning about the journal’s history. We welcome the participation of undergraduate and graduate students from around the world, so please be in touch if you would like to get involved with this project.