David Liakos

My research is grounded in hermeneutics and phenomenology. The unifying theme my work addresses is the relationship between historical tradition and the self. I am concerned with developing a proper relation to history, one that neither mindlessly affirms nor all too quickly dismisses tradition but rather cultivates a proper consciousness of the past. This task requires recourse to the first-person experience of history. Put another way, my work is developing a "phenomenology of the humanities." The main topics occupying me at present are: a first-person account of normativity appropriate for humanistic research; the limits of the “fusion of horizons” in light of historical alienation; and the relationship between phenomenology and "metaphorology."

My approach to teaching is also guided by these concerns, where I have been developing a dialogical humanities pedagogy directed toward "transformative texts" in a community college setting.