Registrations are open for:
Italian Thought Today: Biopolitics, Nihilism, Empire
University of Kent, 5th - 6th April 2008
International conference financed by the British Academy, The Kent
Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities, and the School of
European Culture and Languages
Conference Organiser: Dr Lorenzo Chiesa ([log in to unmask])
Against the background of a recent and widespread resurgence of
Italian contemporary thought, and Italian leftist political theory in
particular, the aim of this conference is twofold. First, the
conference intends to explore the notions of biopolitics, Empire, and
nihilism as elaborated in the recent works of some of the most
important Italian living philosophers. Secondly, and more importantly,
this conference aims to assess the impact of these notions on academic
fields as diverse as political theory, economics, cognitive science,
sociology, and literature.
"Italian Thought Today" therefore aspires to promote an
interdisciplinary dialogue across the humanities and social sciences
that should at the same time also problematise the philosophical
notions mentioned above in light of their application to a non-
philosophical domain. Is Negri's idea that the globalisation of world
markets has led to a progressive decline in the sovereignty of nation-
states useful to explain the Realpolitik of today's diplomacy? How can
Vattimo's emancipatory concept of "active" nihilism be challenged by
the "passive" nihilism that seems to pervade much of contemporary
Italian popular culture? Shouldn't Agamben analyses of the politics of
life be expanded in order to include detailed economical considerations?
Although the notions investigated in this conference have lately been
the object of much attention, the novelty of this conference lies in
its intention to contextualise them beyond the boundaries of
philosophical discourse. This conference will bring together some of
the protagonists of today's Italian philosophical scene, a number of
well-established critics of their work, as well as a number of leading
scholars from across the humanities and social sciences who, in their
recent research, have been confronting themselves with the concepts of
biopolitics, Empire, and nihilism.
Confirmed speakers:
Professor Gianni Vattimo (Professor of Theoretical Philosophy,
University of Turin, Italy): [title t.b.a.]
Professor Roberto Esposito (Professor of Theoretical Philosophy,
Istituto Scienze Umane, Naples, Italy): Totalitarianism and Biopolitics
Dr Sergio Benvenuto (Psychoanalyst and Senior Researcher, Institute
for Cognitive Sciences and Technologies, Italian Council for
Scientific Research, Rome, Italy): Return to the Real: Philosophy in
the Epoch of Bio-Technologies and Bio-Politics
Professor Andrea Fumagalli (Associate Professor of Economics,
University of Pavia, Italy):Ten Theses on Bioeconomy and Cognitive
Capitalism
Professor Timothy Campbell (Associate Professor, Italian Studies,
Cornell University, USA):From the Impolitical to the Impersonal:
Roberto Esposito's Politics of Life
Professor Timothy Murphy (Associate Professor, English, University of
Oklahoma, USA):Pedagogy of the Moltitude: Negri on Stage
Dr Jelica Sumic Riha (Senior Researcher, Institute of Philosophy,
University of Ljubljana, Slovenia): Giorgio Agamben's Politics of the
Remnant
Dr Matteo Mandarini (Lecturer in Management in the Cultural
Industries, Queen Mary University, University of London): Not Fear But
Hope in the Apocalyspse
Dr Alberto Toscano (Lecturer in Sociology, Goldsmiths College,
University of London):Abstract Life: The Biopolitical Logic of
Capitalism and Empire
Dr Ozren Pupovac (Researcher in Sociology, Open University / Jan van
Eyck Academie, Maastricht, The Netherlands): Machiavelli, Negri,
Althusser: Encounters and Detours
Dr Shane Weller (Reader in Comparative Literature, University of
Kent): The Art and Ethics of Distortion: Heidegger, Derrida, Vattimo
Dr Lorenzo Chiesa (Lecturer in Critical Theory, University of Kent):
Homo Sacer: A Franciscan Ontology
More details and registration form: http://www.kent.ac.uk/secl/italian/news/index.html
Apologies for cross-posting.
Please feel free to circulate widely.
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