In Search of a Journal: Caillois and Diogenes

Abstract

To commemorate the fortieth anniversary of Diogenes is, above all, to honor Roger Caillois. From 1952 until his death in 1978, this periodical was the heart of his working life. In July 1948 Caillois had become an international public servant, working for a brand new institution, UNESCO, as a member of its “ideas office” responsible for program planning. UNESCO and the nongovernmental organizations clustered around it adopted a grand and magnificent objective: to promote peace through education and culture. One avenue to pursue this goal was the publication of books and periodicals. Diogenes was therefore the fruit of the interaction between the plans of UNESCO and the International Council for Philosophy and Humanistic Studies and the life experience of Roger Caillois.