Dr. Jacob Blumenfeld

Speaker of the mid-level representatives

I earned my PhD in philosophy from the New School for Social Research in 2018, with a dissertation on the concept of property in German Idealism. Along with research stays at Humboldt University, TU Darmstadt, and the University of Frankfurt, I have taught philosophy, critical theory and ethics at various universities in New York and Berlin. I am currently a „Wissenschaftlicher Mitarbeiter" for Prof. Dr. Tilo Wesche at University Oldenburg. 

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A picture of Dr. Jacob Blumenfeld.

Research Project

My research asks the question, what does it mean to call something “mine” in the world today? What kind of material and moral presuppositions make this claim possible, effective, right or wrong? What conceptual and institutional tools are required to rethink the framework which divides the social world into regions of mine, yours, theirs and ours? My research project for the SFB is on how to think about property as a relation of recognition between free and finite beings, one whose social form is not settled. I am currently working on two book projects: first, a monograph on the normative theory of property from Kant to Hegel, and second, a book exploring the right to expropriate and socialize property, particularly with regards to housing and energy companies. 

Activities

Publications

Scientific publications
  • Blumenfeld, Jacob (2025): "Die Rückkehr der Eigentumsfrage. Zur Geschichte und Theorie der Vergesellschaftung", In: Wesche, T.; Angebauer, N.; Blumenfeld, J. (eds.): Umkämpftes Eigentum. Aktuelle Debatten, Berlin: Suhrkamp, (forth.).
  • Blumenfeld, Jacob (2024): “Class as Moral Injury”, in: Hänel, Hilkje (ed.): Epistemic Injustice and Recognition Theory, Oxford, (forth.).
  • Blumenfeld, Jacob (2024): “Planning for Freedom: Fichte, Ecology, Economy”, In: Giladi, P.; Gotttlieb, G. (eds.): Fichte and Critical Theory, Routledge, (forth.).
  • Blumenfeld, J.; Berfelde, R. (2024): “Von der Vergesellschaftung zur Planung und wieder zurück", In: Prokla 215 54 (2), 177-193, https://doi.org/10.32387/prokla.v54i215.2119.
  • Blumenfeld, Jacob (2024): The Concept of Property in Kant, Fichte, and Hegel, New York: Routledge.
  • Blumenfeld, Jacob (2023): “The Freedom of Crime: Property, Theft and Recognition in Hegel’s System of Ethical Life”, In: British Journal for the History of Philosophy 31 (1), 103-126. DOI: 10.1080/09608788.2022.2148629
  • Blumenfeld, Jacob (2022): “Climate barbarism: Adapting to a wrong world”, In: Constellations 30 (2), 162-178. DOI: 10.1111/1467-8675.12596.
  • Blumenfeld, Jacob (2022): “Expropriation of the Expropriators”, In: Philosophy and Social Criticism 49 (4), 431-447. DOI: 10.1177/01914537211059513.
  • Blumenfeld, Jacob (2022): “The Role of Potentiality in Aristotle’s Ethics”, In: Journal of Human Values, 28:2, 93-102. DOI: 10.1177/09716858211064255.
  • Blumenfeld, Jacob (2018): All Things are Nothing to Me: The Unique Philosophy of Max Stirner, Zero Books.
  • Blumenfeld, Jacob (2014): “Egoism, Labour, and Possession: A reading of ‘Interiority and Economy,’ Section II of Lévinas’ Totality and Infinity”, In: British Society for Phenomenology, 45 (2), 107-117. DOI: 10.1080/00071773.2014.919120.
  • Blumenfeld, J.; Bottici, C.; Critchley, S. (eds.) (2013): The Anarchist Turn , Pluto Press.
Media and podcasts
  • Blumenfeld, Jacob (2023): “What was socialization? A look back”, In: blog of the Collaborative Research Centre “Structural Change of Property”. (published 15.01.2023)

Lectures

  • “Sozialismus kommt von Sozialisierung” - Kämpfe um Vergesellschaftung und Verstaatlichung in der ersten Hälfte des 20. Jahrhunderts, Jacob Blumenfeld with a lecture at the conference “Vergesellschaftung: Strategien für eine demokratische Wirtschaft”. (08.10.2022)
  • Climate Barbarism, Sandberg Instituut, Amsterdam (2022)
  • The Redemption of Saint Max, Marx and the Critique of Humanism, Lisbon (2022)
  • Sozialisierungskämpfe, Vergesellschaftungskonferenz, TU Berlin (2022)
  • Contested Concepts of Property in Past & Present, SFB Jahrestagung, Jena (2022)

Complete overview of activities

Events

  • “Of Ecocide and Human Rights: Political Morality for the 21st Century”, co-organisation of the workshop, 24.-25.10.2024, Freie Universität Berlin. 
  • “Green Capitalism. A new regime of accumulation?”, co-organisation of the conference, 29.-30.11.2024, Humboldt-Universität Berlin.

Teaching

  • Critique and Utopia, 2022-23
  • Climate Ethics, 2021-22
  • Einführung in die Praktische Philosophie, 2020
  • Ethics and Politics of Climate Change, 2019-20
  • Introduction to Ethics, 2007-2011
  • Introduction to Philosophy, 2007-2011
  • History of Philosophy, 2009-2011
  • 19th Century Philosophy, 2011
  • Critical Theory, 2010
  • Aesthetics, 2009

Subprojects

A06 The normative foundations of property: Liberty, common and sustainable ownership

Researcher