Teaching non-canonical texts: discussing concepts as the minimal unit of analysis

The retrieval of the works of women philosophers has challenged boundaries of the philosophical canon and raised new methodological questions for teaching and research. Although scholars have argued for the inclusion of philosophical works beyond traditional styles, integrating non-canonical texts into curricula remains difficult, particularly for non-European figures. This paper revisits debates within the retrieval project concerning the relationship between rational reconstruction and contextualism, as well as the rejection of philosophical pairing as a pedagogical and interpretative strategy. Drawing on a minimal structuralist approach, it defends a compatibilist account of synchronic and diachronic readings and argues that philosophical texts can be understood through the conceptual relations that connect them across traditions and historical contexts. Concepts are treated as minimal units of analysis through which influences, resonances, and transformations become visible. Teaching philosophy in a global context, we argue, requires cultivating the analytical skills needed to read texts relationally and to situate them within broader networks of philosophical exchange.