University Launches Digital Open-Access Journal, a Continuation of the DU Press
Duquesne has launched a new digital open-access journal, Duquesne Studies in Phenomenology, that showcases scholarship by renowned thinkers in phenomenology, especially in the fields of psychology and philosophy.
The journal, which launched May 1, marks the completion of an initiative launched by President Ken Gormley several years ago to create a new University press for a new era, allowing the Duquesne University Press to adapt to a changing publishing world. The press will now be housed in the Simon Silverman Phenomenology Center, underscoring the long tradition of Duquesne as a dominant force in this field of scholarship.
The inaugural issue, titled Hermeneutics Today, coincides with the 40th anniversary of the Silverman Center’s founding, features works edited by distinguished Ph.D. alumnus of the philosophy department, Dr. James Risser of Seattle University.
“The papers in the first issue are engaging the most important question in philosophical hermeneutics today: How do we genuinely understand other ideas and people without asking them explicitly or implicitly to change?” said Gormley. “Finding wisdom on this question is important not only for philosophers but for everyone who inhabits our contemporary culture. This important new journal will explore this timely topic not solely within the realm of philosophy, but in many areas of culture, politics, religion and psychology.”
Dr. Jeff McCurry, director of the Silverman Center, serves as editor of Duquesne Studies in Phenomenology.
McCurry credits former Liberal Arts Dean Dr. James Swindal for his vision and initiative to create this new direction for the digital press. When the Duquesne University Press transitioned to online publishing in 2017, it was Swindal who proposed an online journal focused on the study of phenomenology.
Under McCurry’s leadership, the journal will continue and advance the distinct 70-year legacy of the Duquesne University Press to foster and promote cutting-edge scholarship in phenomenology in all areas of the humanities and social sciences—especially in philosophy and psychology as a human science.
With support from Gumberg Library and the McAnulty College and Graduate School of Liberal Arts, the Duquesne Studies in Phenomenology is entirely open-access for students, scholars and the community. By making the content free and available online, the journal furthers the mission of the University to promote liberal education and the spiritual value of truth.
“Duquesne Studies in Phenomenology is certain to become an interdisciplinary hallmark of the McAnulty College, bringing together intellectual traditions across a number of academic units,” said Dr. Kristine Blair, dean of the McAnulty College and Graduate School of Liberal Arts. “Through Dr. McCurry’s editorial leadership, the journal is aligned with the Catholic, Spiritan mission in its emphasis on psychology and philosophy as human sciences.”