Gary Becker, the neoliberal economist discussed in Foucault’s The Birth of Biopolitics, has died. New APPS recognises the importance of his work here. The University of Chicago has an obituary here.
I’ve previously linked to the discussion between François Ewald, Becker and Bernard Harcourt on Foucault’s reading – here and here. Colin Gordon’s reflections on that encounter can be found at Foucault News.
Derek Gregory provides a very helpful guide to works of art inspired by Giorgio Agamben’s Homo Sacer and, in a reference I’d previously missed, links to Adam Kotsko’s discussion of the concluding volume of the series, The Use of Bodies.
James Bridle‘s new installation, Homo Sacer, has opened at FACT (Foundation for Art and Creative Technology) in Liverpool, as part of its Science Fiction: New Death exhibition:
Explore how our relationship with technology has blurred the lines between the real and the virtual; making our everyday lives feel increasingly like science fiction. Artists including James Bridle, Jon Rafman, Mark Leckey, Larissa Sansour and Ryan Trecartin, plus award-winning science fiction author China Miéville present works which explore how technology is creating new ways of living (and dying), of fashioning identities and the growth of cult-like communities.
The exhibition runs until 22 June, and you can (at least virtually) walk through it with Regine here.
There’s not much detail or documentation of Homo Sacer yet – though see the image above – but James promises a video clip soon. Meanwhile he explains:
The installation consists of a…
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Interesting collection of essays on Marxism and Urban Culture, edited by Benjamin Fraser (author of Henri Lefebvre and the Spanish Urban Experience, and editor of the Journal of Urban Cultural Studies, with a preface by Andy Merrifield. Thanks to Adam David Morton for the link.
Marxism and Urban Culture is the first volume to reconcile social science and humanities perspectives on culture. Covering a range of global cities—Bologna, Buenos Aires, Guatemala City, Liverpool, London, Los Angeles, Madrid, Mahalla al-Kubra, Mexico City, Montreal, Osaka, Strasbourg, Vienna—the contributions fuse political and theoretical concerns with analyses of urban cultural practices and historical movements, as well as urban-themed literary and filmic art. Conceived as a response to the persistent rift between disciplinary Marxist approaches to culture, this book prioritizes the urban problematic and builds implicitly and explicitly on work by numerous thinkers: not only Karl Marx but also David Harvey, Henri Lefebvre, Friedrich Engels and Antonio Gramsci, among others. Rather than reanimate reductive views either of Marx or of urban theory, the chapters in Marxism and Urban Culture speak broadly to the interdisciplinary connections that are increasingly the concern of cultural scholars working across and beyond the boundaries of geography, sociology, history, political science, language and literature fields, film studies, and more. A foreword written by Andy Merrifield (the author of Metromarxism) and an introduction by Benjamin Fraser (the author of Henri Lefebvre and the Spanish Urban Experience) situate the book’s chapters firmly in interdisciplinary terrain.
Gary Shapiro in conversation with Babette Babich – watch it here.
The discussion ranges from Nietzsche to Hobbes, the nature of analytic philosophy, publishing, boundary 2, St. Paul, etc.
Initial details of the first Governing Emergencies workshop.
We’re exicted about the first Governing Emergencies workshop which is now taking shape – 23/24 September at the RGS in London. We’re going to trace some of the ways in which emergencies are governed today, around four themes: ‘Transformations in the Government of Emergency’, ‘Contemporary Logics and Techniques’, ‘Events and Non-Events’ and ‘Emergency Topologies’. Keynotes from Melinda Cooper and Janet Roitman, and other confirmed attendees/speakers include a bunch of interesting people, with more to follow …: Peter Adey, Louise Amoore, Claudia Aradau, Stephen Collier, Mick Dillon, Aurora Fredriksen, Marieke de Goede, Joe Deville, Stefan Elbe, Micheal Guggenheim, Kevin Grove, Paul Langley, Natrhaniel O’Grady, Stephanie Simon.
Further details to follow …
I’ve linked before to the discussion that recently took place in New York between the editor of the ‘Black Notebooks‘, Peter Trawny, Roger Berkowitz and Babette Babich. Berkowitz reflects further on the implications in a thoughtful piece in The American Interest. It provides some translations of crucial passages from the books in question – both Heidegger’s, and Peter Trawny’s own study Heidegger und der Mythos der Jüdischen Weltverschworung. Worth having to hand when you watch the videos.
Heidegger’s Black Notebooks: A discussion with Peter Trawny and Roger Berkowitz from Hannah Arendt Center on Vimeo.
Heidegger’s Black Notebooks: A Panel Discussion with Peter Trawny and Babette Babich, moderated by Roger Berkowitz from Hannah Arendt Center on Vimeo.
Now available in paperback – a collection of essays on the Grundrisse. There is a good review at Marx & Philosophy.
In Marx’s Laboratory provides a critical analysis of the Grundrisse as a crucial stage in the development of Marx’s critique of political economy. Stressing both the achievements and limitations of this much-debated text, this volume attempts to re-read Marx’s 1857–58 manuscripts against the background of Capital as a “laboratory” in which Marx first began to clarify central elements of his mature ideas.
With chapters by a range of international authors from different traditions of interpretation, this volume provides an in-depth analysis of the key themes and concepts in Marx’s 1857–58 manuscripts.
Michael Dillon, IR and Political theorist, has a blog – early posts have descriptions of some forthcoming lectures. One to watch. People may know him for his books, including Politics of Security; The Liberal Way of War (with Julian Reid); Deconstructing International Politics; and the forthcoming Biopolitics of Security in the 21st Century.
A collection of striking images and powerful graphics from Visualizing Palestine; collected and commented upon by The Rival Room.
