Tullio Viola (T.)

I am an Assistant Professor in the Philosophy of art and culture. My research focuses on the history of late modern philosophy and the history of the humanities. It is broadly concerned with the knowledge potential of culture and collective practices of meaning-making: how narrative, images, and cultural traditions have been understood as sources of knowledge and critique. Pursuing this question has led me to focus on theories of the symbol, the philosophy of history, the concepts of habit and cultural memory.

My historical work examines the dialogue between philosophy and the socio-cultural sciences in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. I have written in particular on American pragmatism, German traditions of cultural thought, and French philosophy. My first book, Peirce on the Uses of History, came out with De Gruyter in 2020. In addition, I published articles in the British Journal of the History of Philosophy, History & Theory, the European Journal of Pragmatism and American Philosophy, the Journal of the Philosophy of History, History of Humanities, and other journals.

My current research focuses on two interconnected themes. The first concerns the place of culture within classical American pragmatism and its relevance for contemporary debates at the intersection of philosophy, anthropology, and the history of knowledge. The second investigates the cognitive and critical role of popular narratives such as folktales, legends, and oral traditions. My current NWO-funded project studies how thinkers such as Jane Addams and W.E.B. Du Bois conceptualized the cognitive role of popular narratives (such as folktales or legends) in situations of epistemic marginalization.

At FASoS, I am a member of the AMC ("Arts Media and Culture") Research Programme and I mostly teach in the BA and MA "Arts and Culture". I am also the Chair of the Faculty Council.

My website is www.tullioviola.eu.