Editorial Policy of the Journal

The scientific and theoretical journal “Vestnik of Saint Petersburg University. Philosophy and Conflict Studies” is a periodical publication that informs the scientific community about the latest research in the field of traditional philosophical disciplines — ontology, theory of knowledge, logic, ethics, aesthetics, history of philosophy, philosophy of culture, philosophy of religion, philosophy and methodology of science — as well as the latest developments in the field of conflict studies, philosophy of politics and law, and social philosophy.

The variety of the listed philosophical disciplines sheds light on contemporary fundamental topics and strives to reflect the current state of philosophy with the greatest possible objectivity. The journal is aimed at a professional audience of philosophers, conflict studies theorists, social scientists, as well as a wide range of readers interested in the latest theoretical approaches in the humanities.


The journal’s chief aims are:

  • To preserve and foster the best traditions of Russian humanities, as well as to cultivate new areas of philosophical and conflict resolution research capable of meeting the challenges of the 21st century.

  • To conceptualize emerging fundamental and ethical issues, to nurture the spirit of humanity, professionalism, and responsibility in science.

  • To broaden its accessibility to prospective authors from different regions and countries.

  • To increase the theoretical level of the published materials in order to integrate into the sphere of Russian and international publications.

  • To contribute to the prestige of the Saint Petersburg University schools of thought.

The journal provides a space for unrestricted scientific discussions among members of the international philosophical community. It traditionally focuses on a productive dialogue in the trans- and interdisciplinary areas charted by the mobile boundaries of philosophy as the primary matrix of knowledge. In accordance with the charter of the journal, original, independent, analytical studies in Russian and English, as well as book reviews and well-reasoned and ethically appropriate polemical speeches, are submitted for consideration by representatives of diverse fundamental philosophical positions. The relationship between the author and the publisher is governed by the license agreement. There is no publication fee.

The originality of the journal consists in the publication of materials that deal with the ongoing theoretical challenges of philosophy and Conflict Studies in all their diversity and historical forms, as well as related topics and issues that lie at the border of philosophy and Conflict Studies. These may include topics relating to anthropology, ontology, epistemology, the social philosophy of conflict and conflict resolution, the history of conflict philosophy, as well as social dialectics and philosophical polemics, the contradictions in the development of consciousness and self-awareness, the philosophy of revolution, state and law, and gender studies. This allows us to discover new aspects of social communication and the formation of the spiritual world of the individual, the relationship of personal, class, national and ethnic consciousness in the global culture of our time.

The editorial board is composed of respected Russian and foreign specialists in the various thematic areas of the journal and related disciplines to ensure the scientific objectivity, independence, and veracity of the published materials.


The History of the Journal

Despite ideological pressures, the philosophical periodicals of the Leningrad State University (later to become the Saint Petersburg University) have an uninterrupted tradition. The creation of its own university journal in 1946 led to the subsequent diversification of covered subject areas. These subject areas are separated into thematically distinct periodical "series" and published as distinct branches of the "Vestnik". In 1952, a series on the social sciences appeared in the Vestnik of the Leningrad State University, and in 1956, a series on "Economics. Philosophy. Law." was launched. In these years, the Vestnik published articles by notable philosophers, such as representatives of the Leningrad ontological school of V.P. Tugarinov, V.V. Svidersky, F.F. Vyakkerev, V.P. Bransky, and M.I. Shakhnovich, one of the founders of the philosophical study of religion.

Within the framework of the sixth series, titled "Philosophy, political science, sociology, psychology, law, international relations", from 1985 to 2012, M.S. Kagan, the widely known theorist of aesthetics and culture, and outstanding researchers of the history of philosophy A.A. Galaktionov, P.F. Nikandrov, Y.V. Perov, K.A. Sergeev saw publication in the journal.

From 2013 to 2016, interdisciplinary research in the philosophical field was presented in series seventeen: "Philosophy. Conflictology. Culturology. Religious studies". Since 2017, the series has been renamed to "Philosophy and Conflict Studies".