At the turn of the 20th century, the international congresses represented the first public arena where scholars of different nationalities met and discussed in face-to-face interactions. During these meetings new questions emerged, new concepts were proposed, collaborations and networks were established, and information was exchanged. Nonetheless, this organization of scientific communication entailed important organizational, linguistic, and ideological challenges, which, in the case of philosophy, were even more complicated than in other scientific areas. The delegates were often involved in controversies implying misunderstandings and prejudices. Even more striking is that controversies involved the very definition of their activity: philosophizing. The congresses are a privileged case study to analyze the recent transnational emergence of an academic discipline, but they also constitute an opportunity to try to denaturalize the very idea that we have of this thing we call ‘philosophy.’