Calendar

Reading the Foucault Collège de France Lectures  with

Seyla Benhabib, Homi Bhabha, Judith Butler, Veena Das, François Ewald, Didier Fassin, James Faubion, Nancy Fraser, Frédéric Gros, Daniele Lorenzini, Nancy Luxon, Achille Mbembe, Paul Rabinow, Judith Revel, Pierre Rosanvallon, Ann Stoler, and Linda Zerilli

in conversation with Columbia University colleagues

Etienne Balibar, Partha Chatterjee, Jean Cohen, Souleymane Bachir Diagne, Katherine Franke, Robert Gooding-Williams, Stathis Gourgouris, Axel Honneth, Jeremy Kessler, Lydia Liu, Anna Lvovsky, Sharon Marcus, Alondra Nelson, John Rajchman, Emmanuelle Saada, Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak, Kendall Thomas, Adam Tooze, and Nadia Urbinati

Moderated by  Bernard E. Harcourt and Jesús R. Velasco

Race war, biopolitics, the hermeneutics of the self, governmentality, the examination of one’s conscience, sécurité, the courage of truth, illégalismes, juridical forms, governing through truth, the “punitive society,” truth-telling, judicial apparatuses of repression, the Nu-pieds rebellions of 1639, parrhesia … Michel Foucault’s thirteen years of lectures at the Collège de France introduced us to new concepts and novel research avenues. For many of us, those avenues have been fertile ground for our own theorization, for others fertile ground for critique. They represent, as Foucault intended, rich and productive “pistes de recherches.”

With the publication of the entire series of lectures at the Collège de France—the last, Théories et institutions pénales (1971-1972) just released in May 2015—it is now time to read them chronologically:  to grasp the overall project of those lectures at the Collège, to discuss the full trajectory, and to continue to excavate our own “pistes de recherche” building on Foucault’s.

The Columbia Center for Contemporary Critical Thought and the Columbia Society of Fellows, with the support of the Maison Française, the Institute for Comparative Literature and Society, and the Department of Latin American and Iberian Cultures, are delighted to host 13 seminars on the 13 courses. The seminar series—Foucault 13/13—will extend over the full 2015-2016 academic year at Columbia University. The seminar series will be open to Columbia faculty, fellows, and students, as well as faculty and students from other New York universities.

Each seminar will be led by distinguished scholars from different disciplines. The seminars will take place on Monday evenings in the Fall semester (2015) and Thursday evenings in the Spring semester (2016) from 6:15pm to 8:45pm.

The seminars will be open to students and faculty from Columbia University and other New York universities (please bring university ID). Please RSVP at [list from Sundial, CU event listing place]. If you are interested in attending and would like a place reserved at the seminar table, please send an e-mail explaining your interest to Claire Merrill at cm3325@columbia.edu.

Event locations vary — please see event location for each seminar. The Columbia Maison Française is located on the Columbia campus in Buell Hall next to Low Library. The Heyman Center Common Room is located in the Heyman Center (in East Campus) on the second floor. The Hispanic Institute for Latin American and Iberian Cultures (Casa Hispanica) is located at 612 West 116^th Street. A campus map of Columbia University is here.

Seminar Series Schedule:  Foucault 13/13

Monday, September 14, 2015, 6:15 to 8:45pm

Lessons on the Will to Know (1970-1971)

James Faubion, Rice University

and Nancy Luxon, University of Minnesota

Maison Française

***

Monday, September 28, 2015, 6:15 to 8:45pm

Penal Theories and Institutions (1971-1972)

Etienne Balibar, Université Paris Ouest Nanterre & Columbia University

and François Ewald, Series Editor of Foucault’s Collège de France Lectures

Casa Hispánica

***

Monday, October 12, 2015, 6:15 to 8:45pm

The Punitive Society (1972-1973)

Didier Fassin, Institute for Advanced Studies (Princeton) & EHESS,

Axel Honneth, University of Frankfurt & Columbia University, and

Nadia Urbinati, Columbia University

Heyman Center Common Room

***

Monday, October 26, 2015, 6:15 to 8:45pm

Psychiatric Power (1973-1974)

Linda Zerilli, University of Chicago,

Anna Lvovsky, Columbia University, and

Alondra Nelson, Columbia University

Heyman Center Common Room

***

Monday, November 16, 2015, 7:00 to 9:00pm

Abnormal (1974-1975)

Veena Das, Johns Hopkins University,

Pierre Rosanvallon, Collège de France, Paris, and

Emmanuelle Saada, Columbia University

Maison Française

***

Monday, November 23, 2015, 6:15 to 8:45pm

“Society must be defended” (1975-1976)

Ann Stoler, The New School,

Partha Chatterjee, Columbia University, and

Robert Gooding-Williams, Columbia University

Heyman Center Common Room

***

Monday, December 7, 2015, 6:15 to 8:45pm

Security, Territory, Population (1977-1978)

Seyla Benhabib, Yale University,

Jeremy Kessler, Columbia University, and

Adam Tooze, Columbia University

Maison Française

***

Thursday, January 28, 2016, 6:15 to 8:45pm

The Birth of Biopolitics (1978-1979)

Nancy Fraser, The New School

and Kendall Thomas, Columbia University

Heyman Center Common Room

***

Thursday, February 11, 2016, 6:15 to 8:45pm

The Government of the Living (1979-1980)

Achille Mbembe, University of the Witwatersrand,

Daniele Lorenzini, Université Paris-Est Créteil, and

Jean Cohen, Columbia University

Maison Française

***

Thursday, February 25, 2016, 6:15 to 8:45pm

Subjectivity and Truth (1980-1981)

Judith Butler, University of California Berkeley,

Katherine Franke, Columbia University, and

Stathis Gourgouris, Columbia University

Maison Française

***

Thursday, March 10, 2016, 6:15 to 8:45pm

The Hermeneutics of the Subject (1981-1982)

Homi Bhabha, Harvard University,

Paul Rabinow, University of California Berkeley, and

Lydia Liu, Columbia University

Heyman Center Common Room

***

Thursday, March 31, 2016, 6:15 to 8:45pm

The Government of Self and Others (1982-1983)

Judith Revel, Université Paris Ouest Nanterre,

Sharon Marcus, Columbia University, and

John Rajchman, Columbia University

Heyman Center Common Room

***

Thursday, April 14, 2016, 6:15 to 8:45pm

The Courage of Truth (1983-1984)

Frederic Gros, Sciences Po,

Souleymane Bachir Diagne, Columbia University, and

Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak, Columbia University

Casa Hispánica

***

All sessions moderated by Bernard E. Harcourt and Jesús R. Velasco

Reading the Foucault Collège de France Lectures  with

Seyla Benhabib, Homi Bhabha, Judith Butler, Veena Das, François Ewald, Didier Fassin, James Faubion, Nancy Fraser, Frédéric Gros, Daniele Lorenzini, Nancy Luxon, Achille Mbembe, Paul Rabinow, Judith Revel, Pierre Rosanvallon, Ann Stoler, and Linda Zerilli

in conversation with Columbia University colleagues

Etienne Balibar, Partha Chatterjee, Jean Cohen, Souleymane Bachir Diagne, Katherine Franke, Robert Gooding-Williams, Stathis Gourgouris, Axel Honneth, Jeremy Kessler, Lydia Liu, Anna Lvovsky, Sharon Marcus, Alondra Nelson, John Rajchman, Emmanuelle Saada, Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak, Kendall Thomas, Adam Tooze, and Nadia Urbinati

Moderated by  Bernard E. Harcourt and Jesús R. Velasco

Race war, biopolitics, the hermeneutics of the self, governmentality, the examination of one’s conscience, sécurité, the courage of truth, illégalismes, juridical forms, governing through truth, the “punitive society,” truth-telling, judicial apparatuses of repression, the Nu-pieds rebellions of 1639, parrhesia … Michel Foucault’s thirteen years of lectures at the Collège de France introduced us to new concepts and novel research avenues. For many of us, those avenues have been fertile ground for our own theorization, for others fertile ground for critique. They represent, as Foucault intended, rich and productive “pistes de recherches.”

With the publication of the entire series of lectures at the Collège de France—the last, Théories et institutions pénales (1971-1972) just released in May 2015—it is now time to read them chronologically:  to grasp the overall project of those lectures at the Collège, to discuss the full trajectory, and to continue to excavate our own “pistes de recherche” building on Foucault’s.

The Columbia Center for Contemporary Critical Thought and the Columbia Society of Fellows, with the support of the Maison Française, the Institute for Comparative Literature and Society, and the Department of Latin American and Iberian Cultures, are delighted to host 13 seminars on the 13 courses. The seminar series—Foucault 13/13—will extend over the full 2015-2016 academic year at Columbia University. The seminar series will be open to Columbia faculty, fellows, and students, as well as faculty and students from other New York universities.

Each seminar will be led by distinguished scholars from different disciplines. The seminars will take place on Monday evenings in the Fall semester (2015) and Thursday evenings in the Spring semester (2016) from 6:15pm to 8:45pm.

The seminars will be open to students and faculty from Columbia University and other New York universities (please bring university ID). Please RSVP at [list from Sundial, CU event listing place]. If you are interested in attending and would like a place reserved at the seminar table, please send an e-mail explaining your interest to Claire Merrill at cm3325@columbia.edu.

Event locations vary — please see event location for each seminar. The Columbia Maison Française is located on the Columbia campus in Buell Hall next to Low Library. The Heyman Center Common Room is located in the Heyman Center (in East Campus) on the second floor. The Hispanic Institute for Latin American and Iberian Cultures (Casa Hispanica) is located at 612 West 116^th Street. A campus map of Columbia University is here.

Seminar Series Schedule:  Foucault 13/13

Monday, September 14, 2015, 6:15 to 8:45pm

Lessons on the Will to Know (1970-1971)

James Faubion, Rice University

and Nancy Luxon, University of Minnesota

Maison Française

***

Monday, September 28, 2015, 6:15 to 8:45pm

Penal Theories and Institutions (1971-1972)

Etienne Balibar, Université Paris Ouest Nanterre & Columbia University

and François Ewald, Series Editor of Foucault’s Collège de France Lectures

Casa Hispánica

***

Monday, October 12, 2015, 6:15 to 8:45pm

The Punitive Society (1972-1973)

Didier Fassin, Institute for Advanced Studies (Princeton) & EHESS,

Axel Honneth, University of Frankfurt & Columbia University, and

Nadia Urbinati, Columbia University

Heyman Center Common Room

***

Monday, October 26, 2015, 6:15 to 8:45pm

Psychiatric Power (1973-1974)

Linda Zerilli, University of Chicago,

Anna Lvovsky, Columbia University, and

Alondra Nelson, Columbia University

Heyman Center Common Room

***

Monday, November 16, 2015, 7:00 to 9:00pm

Abnormal (1974-1975)

Veena Das, Johns Hopkins University,

Pierre Rosanvallon, Collège de France, Paris, and

Emmanuelle Saada, Columbia University

Maison Française

***

Monday, November 23, 2015, 6:15 to 8:45pm

“Society must be defended” (1975-1976)

Ann Stoler, The New School,

Partha Chatterjee, Columbia University, and

Robert Gooding-Williams, Columbia University

Heyman Center Common Room

***

Monday, December 7, 2015, 6:15 to 8:45pm

Security, Territory, Population (1977-1978)

Seyla Benhabib, Yale University,

Jeremy Kessler, Columbia University, and

Adam Tooze, Columbia University

Maison Française

***

Thursday, January 28, 2016, 6:15 to 8:45pm

The Birth of Biopolitics (1978-1979)

Nancy Fraser, The New School

and Kendall Thomas, Columbia University

Heyman Center Common Room

***

Thursday, February 11, 2016, 6:15 to 8:45pm

The Government of the Living (1979-1980)

Achille Mbembe, University of the Witwatersrand,

Daniele Lorenzini, Université Paris-Est Créteil, and

Jean Cohen, Columbia University

Maison Française

***

Thursday, February 25, 2016, 6:15 to 8:45pm

Subjectivity and Truth (1980-1981)

Judith Butler, University of California Berkeley,

Katherine Franke, Columbia University, and

Stathis Gourgouris, Columbia University

Maison Française

***

Thursday, March 10, 2016, 6:15 to 8:45pm

The Hermeneutics of the Subject (1981-1982)

Homi Bhabha, Harvard University,

Paul Rabinow, University of California Berkeley, and

Lydia Liu, Columbia University

Heyman Center Common Room

***

Thursday, March 31, 2016, 6:15 to 8:45pm

The Government of Self and Others (1982-1983)

Judith Revel, Université Paris Ouest Nanterre,

Sharon Marcus, Columbia University, and

John Rajchman, Columbia University

Heyman Center Common Room

***

Thursday, April 14, 2016, 6:15 to 8:45pm

The Courage of Truth (1983-1984)

Frederic Gros, Sciences Po,

Souleymane Bachir Diagne, Columbia University, and

Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak, Columbia University

Casa Hispánica

***

All sessions moderated by Bernard E. Harcourt and Jesús R. Velasco

Reading the Foucault Collège de France Lectures  with

Seyla Benhabib, Homi Bhabha, Judith Butler, Veena Das, François Ewald, Didier Fassin, James Faubion, Nancy Fraser, Frédéric Gros, Daniele Lorenzini, Nancy Luxon, Achille Mbembe, Paul Rabinow, Judith Revel, Pierre Rosanvallon, Ann Stoler, and Linda Zerilli

in conversation with Columbia University colleagues

Etienne Balibar, Partha Chatterjee, Jean Cohen, Souleymane Bachir Diagne, Katherine Franke, Robert Gooding-Williams, Stathis Gourgouris, Axel Honneth, Jeremy Kessler, Lydia Liu, Anna Lvovsky, Sharon Marcus, Alondra Nelson, John Rajchman, Emmanuelle Saada, Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak, Kendall Thomas, Adam Tooze, and Nadia Urbinati

Moderated by  Bernard E. Harcourt and Jesús R. Velasco

Race war, biopolitics, the hermeneutics of the self, governmentality, the examination of one’s conscience, sécurité, the courage of truth, illégalismes, juridical forms, governing through truth, the “punitive society,” truth-telling, judicial apparatuses of repression, the Nu-pieds rebellions of 1639, parrhesia … Michel Foucault’s thirteen years of lectures at the Collège de France introduced us to new concepts and novel research avenues. For many of us, those avenues have been fertile ground for our own theorization, for others fertile ground for critique. They represent, as Foucault intended, rich and productive “pistes de recherches.”

With the publication of the entire series of lectures at the Collège de France—the last, Théories et institutions pénales (1971-1972) just released in May 2015—it is now time to read them chronologically:  to grasp the overall project of those lectures at the Collège, to discuss the full trajectory, and to continue to excavate our own “pistes de recherche” building on Foucault’s.

The Columbia Center for Contemporary Critical Thought and the Columbia Society of Fellows, with the support of the Maison Française, the Institute for Comparative Literature and Society, and the Department of Latin American and Iberian Cultures, are delighted to host 13 seminars on the 13 courses. The seminar series—Foucault 13/13—will extend over the full 2015-2016 academic year at Columbia University. The seminar series will be open to Columbia faculty, fellows, and students, as well as faculty and students from other New York universities.

Each seminar will be led by distinguished scholars from different disciplines. The seminars will take place on Monday evenings in the Fall semester (2015) and Thursday evenings in the Spring semester (2016) from 6:15pm to 8:45pm.

The seminars will be open to students and faculty from Columbia University and other New York universities (please bring university ID). Please RSVP at [list from Sundial, CU event listing place]. If you are interested in attending and would like a place reserved at the seminar table, please send an e-mail explaining your interest to Claire Merrill at cm3325@columbia.edu.

Event locations vary — please see event location for each seminar. The Columbia Maison Française is located on the Columbia campus in Buell Hall next to Low Library. The Heyman Center Common Room is located in the Heyman Center (in East Campus) on the second floor. The Hispanic Institute for Latin American and Iberian Cultures (Casa Hispanica) is located at 612 West 116^th Street. A campus map of Columbia University is here.

Seminar Series Schedule:  Foucault 13/13

Monday, September 14, 2015, 6:15 to 8:45pm

Lessons on the Will to Know (1970-1971)

James Faubion, Rice University

and Nancy Luxon, University of Minnesota

Maison Française

***

Monday, September 28, 2015, 6:15 to 8:45pm

Penal Theories and Institutions (1971-1972)

Etienne Balibar, Université Paris Ouest Nanterre & Columbia University

and François Ewald, Series Editor of Foucault’s Collège de France Lectures

Casa Hispánica

***

Monday, October 12, 2015, 6:15 to 8:45pm

The Punitive Society (1972-1973)

Didier Fassin, Institute for Advanced Studies (Princeton) & EHESS,

Axel Honneth, University of Frankfurt & Columbia University, and

Nadia Urbinati, Columbia University

Heyman Center Common Room

***

Monday, October 26, 2015, 6:15 to 8:45pm

Psychiatric Power (1973-1974)

Linda Zerilli, University of Chicago,

Anna Lvovsky, Columbia University, and

Alondra Nelson, Columbia University

Heyman Center Common Room

***

Monday, November 16, 2015, 7:00 to 9:00pm

Abnormal (1974-1975)

Veena Das, Johns Hopkins University,

Pierre Rosanvallon, Collège de France, Paris, and

Emmanuelle Saada, Columbia University

Maison Française

***

Monday, November 23, 2015, 6:15 to 8:45pm

“Society must be defended” (1975-1976)

Ann Stoler, The New School,

Partha Chatterjee, Columbia University, and

Robert Gooding-Williams, Columbia University

Heyman Center Common Room

***

Monday, December 7, 2015, 6:15 to 8:45pm

Security, Territory, Population (1977-1978)

Seyla Benhabib, Yale University,

Jeremy Kessler, Columbia University, and

Adam Tooze, Columbia University

Maison Française

***

Thursday, January 28, 2016, 6:15 to 8:45pm

The Birth of Biopolitics (1978-1979)

Nancy Fraser, The New School

and Kendall Thomas, Columbia University

Heyman Center Common Room

***

Thursday, February 11, 2016, 6:15 to 8:45pm

The Government of the Living (1979-1980)

Achille Mbembe, University of the Witwatersrand,

Daniele Lorenzini, Université Paris-Est Créteil, and

Jean Cohen, Columbia University

Maison Française

***

Thursday, February 25, 2016, 6:15 to 8:45pm

Subjectivity and Truth (1980-1981)

Judith Butler, University of California Berkeley,

Katherine Franke, Columbia University, and

Stathis Gourgouris, Columbia University

Maison Française

***

Thursday, March 10, 2016, 6:15 to 8:45pm

The Hermeneutics of the Subject (1981-1982)

Homi Bhabha, Harvard University,

Paul Rabinow, University of California Berkeley, and

Lydia Liu, Columbia University

Heyman Center Common Room

***

Thursday, March 31, 2016, 6:15 to 8:45pm

The Government of Self and Others (1982-1983)

Judith Revel, Université Paris Ouest Nanterre,

Sharon Marcus, Columbia University, and

John Rajchman, Columbia University

Heyman Center Common Room

***

Thursday, April 14, 2016, 6:15 to 8:45pm

The Courage of Truth (1983-1984)

Frederic Gros, Sciences Po,

Souleymane Bachir Diagne, Columbia University, and

Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak, Columbia University

Casa Hispánica

***

All sessions moderated by Bernard E. Harcourt and Jesús R. Velasco

Reading the Foucault Collège de France Lectures  with

Seyla Benhabib, Homi Bhabha, Judith Butler, Veena Das, François Ewald, Didier Fassin, James Faubion, Nancy Fraser, Frédéric Gros, Daniele Lorenzini, Nancy Luxon, Achille Mbembe, Paul Rabinow, Judith Revel, Pierre Rosanvallon, Ann Stoler, and Linda Zerilli

in conversation with Columbia University colleagues

Etienne Balibar, Partha Chatterjee, Jean Cohen, Souleymane Bachir Diagne, Katherine Franke, Robert Gooding-Williams, Stathis Gourgouris, Axel Honneth, Jeremy Kessler, Lydia Liu, Anna Lvovsky, Sharon Marcus, Alondra Nelson, John Rajchman, Emmanuelle Saada, Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak, Kendall Thomas, Adam Tooze, and Nadia Urbinati

Moderated by  Bernard E. Harcourt and Jesús R. Velasco

Race war, biopolitics, the hermeneutics of the self, governmentality, the examination of one’s conscience, sécurité, the courage of truth, illégalismes, juridical forms, governing through truth, the “punitive society,” truth-telling, judicial apparatuses of repression, the Nu-pieds rebellions of 1639, parrhesia … Michel Foucault’s thirteen years of lectures at the Collège de France introduced us to new concepts and novel research avenues. For many of us, those avenues have been fertile ground for our own theorization, for others fertile ground for critique. They represent, as Foucault intended, rich and productive “pistes de recherches.”

With the publication of the entire series of lectures at the Collège de France—the last, Théories et institutions pénales (1971-1972) just released in May 2015—it is now time to read them chronologically:  to grasp the overall project of those lectures at the Collège, to discuss the full trajectory, and to continue to excavate our own “pistes de recherche” building on Foucault’s.

The Columbia Center for Contemporary Critical Thought and the Columbia Society of Fellows, with the support of the Maison Française, the Institute for Comparative Literature and Society, and the Department of Latin American and Iberian Cultures, are delighted to host 13 seminars on the 13 courses. The seminar series—Foucault 13/13—will extend over the full 2015-2016 academic year at Columbia University. The seminar series will be open to Columbia faculty, fellows, and students, as well as faculty and students from other New York universities.

Each seminar will be led by distinguished scholars from different disciplines. The seminars will take place on Monday evenings in the Fall semester (2015) and Thursday evenings in the Spring semester (2016) from 6:15pm to 8:45pm.

The seminars will be open to students and faculty from Columbia University and other New York universities (please bring university ID). Please RSVP at [list from Sundial, CU event listing place]. If you are interested in attending and would like a place reserved at the seminar table, please send an e-mail explaining your interest to Claire Merrill at cm3325@columbia.edu.

Event locations vary — please see event location for each seminar. The Columbia Maison Française is located on the Columbia campus in Buell Hall next to Low Library. The Heyman Center Common Room is located in the Heyman Center (in East Campus) on the second floor. The Hispanic Institute for Latin American and Iberian Cultures (Casa Hispanica) is located at 612 West 116^th Street. A campus map of Columbia University is here.

Seminar Series Schedule:  Foucault 13/13

Monday, September 14, 2015, 6:15 to 8:45pm

Lessons on the Will to Know (1970-1971)

James Faubion, Rice University

and Nancy Luxon, University of Minnesota

Maison Française

***

Monday, September 28, 2015, 6:15 to 8:45pm

Penal Theories and Institutions (1971-1972)

Etienne Balibar, Université Paris Ouest Nanterre & Columbia University

and François Ewald, Series Editor of Foucault’s Collège de France Lectures

Casa Hispánica

***

Monday, October 12, 2015, 6:15 to 8:45pm

The Punitive Society (1972-1973)

Didier Fassin, Institute for Advanced Studies (Princeton) & EHESS,

Axel Honneth, University of Frankfurt & Columbia University, and

Nadia Urbinati, Columbia University

Heyman Center Common Room

***

Monday, October 26, 2015, 6:15 to 8:45pm

Psychiatric Power (1973-1974)

Linda Zerilli, University of Chicago,

Anna Lvovsky, Columbia University, and

Alondra Nelson, Columbia University

Heyman Center Common Room

***

Monday, November 16, 2015, 7:00 to 9:00pm

Abnormal (1974-1975)

Veena Das, Johns Hopkins University,

Pierre Rosanvallon, Collège de France, Paris, and

Emmanuelle Saada, Columbia University

Maison Française

***

Monday, November 23, 2015, 6:15 to 8:45pm

“Society must be defended” (1975-1976)

Ann Stoler, The New School,

Partha Chatterjee, Columbia University, and

Robert Gooding-Williams, Columbia University

Heyman Center Common Room

***

Monday, December 7, 2015, 6:15 to 8:45pm

Security, Territory, Population (1977-1978)

Seyla Benhabib, Yale University,

Jeremy Kessler, Columbia University, and

Adam Tooze, Columbia University

Maison Française

***

Thursday, January 28, 2016, 6:15 to 8:45pm

The Birth of Biopolitics (1978-1979)

Nancy Fraser, The New School

and Kendall Thomas, Columbia University

Heyman Center Common Room

***

Thursday, February 11, 2016, 6:15 to 8:45pm

The Government of the Living (1979-1980)

Achille Mbembe, University of the Witwatersrand,

Daniele Lorenzini, Université Paris-Est Créteil, and

Jean Cohen, Columbia University

Maison Française

***

Thursday, February 25, 2016, 6:15 to 8:45pm

Subjectivity and Truth (1980-1981)

Judith Butler, University of California Berkeley,

Katherine Franke, Columbia University, and

Stathis Gourgouris, Columbia University

Maison Française

***

Thursday, March 10, 2016, 6:15 to 8:45pm

The Hermeneutics of the Subject (1981-1982)

Homi Bhabha, Harvard University,

Paul Rabinow, University of California Berkeley, and

Lydia Liu, Columbia University

Heyman Center Common Room

***

Thursday, March 31, 2016, 6:15 to 8:45pm

The Government of Self and Others (1982-1983)

Judith Revel, Université Paris Ouest Nanterre,

Sharon Marcus, Columbia University, and

John Rajchman, Columbia University

Heyman Center Common Room

***

Thursday, April 14, 2016, 6:15 to 8:45pm

The Courage of Truth (1983-1984)

Frederic Gros, Sciences Po,

Souleymane Bachir Diagne, Columbia University, and

Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak, Columbia University

Casa Hispánica

***

All sessions moderated by Bernard E. Harcourt and Jesús R. Velasco

Reading the Foucault Collège de France Lectures  with

Seyla Benhabib, Homi Bhabha, Judith Butler, Veena Das, François Ewald, Didier Fassin, James Faubion, Nancy Fraser, Frédéric Gros, Daniele Lorenzini, Nancy Luxon, Achille Mbembe, Paul Rabinow, Judith Revel, Pierre Rosanvallon, Ann Stoler, and Linda Zerilli

in conversation with Columbia University colleagues

Etienne Balibar, Partha Chatterjee, Jean Cohen, Souleymane Bachir Diagne, Katherine Franke, Robert Gooding-Williams, Stathis Gourgouris, Axel Honneth, Jeremy Kessler, Lydia Liu, Anna Lvovsky, Sharon Marcus, Alondra Nelson, John Rajchman, Emmanuelle Saada, Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak, Kendall Thomas, Adam Tooze, and Nadia Urbinati

Moderated by  Bernard E. Harcourt and Jesús R. Velasco

Race war, biopolitics, the hermeneutics of the self, governmentality, the examination of one’s conscience, sécurité, the courage of truth, illégalismes, juridical forms, governing through truth, the “punitive society,” truth-telling, judicial apparatuses of repression, the Nu-pieds rebellions of 1639, parrhesia … Michel Foucault’s thirteen years of lectures at the Collège de France introduced us to new concepts and novel research avenues. For many of us, those avenues have been fertile ground for our own theorization, for others fertile ground for critique. They represent, as Foucault intended, rich and productive “pistes de recherches.”

With the publication of the entire series of lectures at the Collège de France—the last, Théories et institutions pénales (1971-1972) just released in May 2015—it is now time to read them chronologically:  to grasp the overall project of those lectures at the Collège, to discuss the full trajectory, and to continue to excavate our own “pistes de recherche” building on Foucault’s.

The Columbia Center for Contemporary Critical Thought and the Columbia Society of Fellows, with the support of the Maison Française, the Institute for Comparative Literature and Society, and the Department of Latin American and Iberian Cultures, are delighted to host 13 seminars on the 13 courses. The seminar series—Foucault 13/13—will extend over the full 2015-2016 academic year at Columbia University. The seminar series will be open to Columbia faculty, fellows, and students, as well as faculty and students from other New York universities.

Each seminar will be led by distinguished scholars from different disciplines. The seminars will take place on Monday evenings in the Fall semester (2015) and Thursday evenings in the Spring semester (2016) from 6:15pm to 8:45pm.

The seminars will be open to students and faculty from Columbia University and other New York universities (please bring university ID). Please RSVP at [list from Sundial, CU event listing place]. If you are interested in attending and would like a place reserved at the seminar table, please send an e-mail explaining your interest to Claire Merrill at cm3325@columbia.edu.

Event locations vary — please see event location for each seminar. The Columbia Maison Française is located on the Columbia campus in Buell Hall next to Low Library. The Heyman Center Common Room is located in the Heyman Center (in East Campus) on the second floor. The Hispanic Institute for Latin American and Iberian Cultures (Casa Hispanica) is located at 612 West 116^th Street. A campus map of Columbia University is here.

Seminar Series Schedule:  Foucault 13/13

Monday, September 14, 2015, 6:15 to 8:45pm

Lessons on the Will to Know (1970-1971)

James Faubion, Rice University

and Nancy Luxon, University of Minnesota

Maison Française

***

Monday, September 28, 2015, 6:15 to 8:45pm

Penal Theories and Institutions (1971-1972)

Etienne Balibar, Université Paris Ouest Nanterre & Columbia University

and François Ewald, Series Editor of Foucault’s Collège de France Lectures

Casa Hispánica

***

Monday, October 12, 2015, 6:15 to 8:45pm

The Punitive Society (1972-1973)

Didier Fassin, Institute for Advanced Studies (Princeton) & EHESS,

Axel Honneth, University of Frankfurt & Columbia University, and

Nadia Urbinati, Columbia University

Heyman Center Common Room

***

Monday, October 26, 2015, 6:15 to 8:45pm

Psychiatric Power (1973-1974)

Linda Zerilli, University of Chicago,

Anna Lvovsky, Columbia University, and

Alondra Nelson, Columbia University

Heyman Center Common Room

***

Monday, November 16, 2015, 7:00 to 9:00pm

Abnormal (1974-1975)

Veena Das, Johns Hopkins University,

Pierre Rosanvallon, Collège de France, Paris, and

Emmanuelle Saada, Columbia University

Maison Française

***

Monday, November 23, 2015, 6:15 to 8:45pm

“Society must be defended” (1975-1976)

Ann Stoler, The New School,

Partha Chatterjee, Columbia University, and

Robert Gooding-Williams, Columbia University

Heyman Center Common Room

***

Monday, December 7, 2015, 6:15 to 8:45pm

Security, Territory, Population (1977-1978)

Seyla Benhabib, Yale University,

Jeremy Kessler, Columbia University, and

Adam Tooze, Columbia University

Maison Française

***

Thursday, January 28, 2016, 6:15 to 8:45pm

The Birth of Biopolitics (1978-1979)

Nancy Fraser, The New School

and Kendall Thomas, Columbia University

Heyman Center Common Room

***

Thursday, February 11, 2016, 6:15 to 8:45pm

The Government of the Living (1979-1980)

Achille Mbembe, University of the Witwatersrand,

Daniele Lorenzini, Université Paris-Est Créteil, and

Jean Cohen, Columbia University

Maison Française

***

Thursday, February 25, 2016, 6:15 to 8:45pm

Subjectivity and Truth (1980-1981)

Judith Butler, University of California Berkeley,

Katherine Franke, Columbia University, and

Stathis Gourgouris, Columbia University

Maison Française

***

Thursday, March 10, 2016, 6:15 to 8:45pm

The Hermeneutics of the Subject (1981-1982)

Homi Bhabha, Harvard University,

Paul Rabinow, University of California Berkeley, and

Lydia Liu, Columbia University

Heyman Center Common Room

***

Thursday, March 31, 2016, 6:15 to 8:45pm

The Government of Self and Others (1982-1983)

Judith Revel, Université Paris Ouest Nanterre,

Sharon Marcus, Columbia University, and

John Rajchman, Columbia University

Heyman Center Common Room

***

Thursday, April 14, 2016, 6:15 to 8:45pm

The Courage of Truth (1983-1984)

Frederic Gros, Sciences Po,

Souleymane Bachir Diagne, Columbia University, and

Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak, Columbia University

Casa Hispánica

***

All sessions moderated by Bernard E. Harcourt and Jesús R. Velasco

The paper follows and elaborates on a line of argument in my book The Confucian Political Imagination, which was published by Palgrave Macmillan this summer. I do not address the main argument of the book, but sum up a line of thought that has gradually taken form since I began to read Confucian texts. I explain what I learned about reading Confucianism from my teacher Tu Weiming, and why I could not follow the philosophical turn in American Confucian studies. I point to the importance of reading in an emphatic sense, and argue that the philosophical approaches to Confucian texts often leads to an impoverished reading of these texts. Then I provide my own suggestions towards a definition Confucian discourse. I briefly point to the historical reasons Confucian discourse is not philosophy, and finally I ask if all this really matters.

THE COLUMBIA SOCIETY FOR COMPARATIVE PHILOSOPHY

Welcomes:

Eske Møllgaard (University of Rhode Island)

With a response from:

Andrew Lambert (College of Staten Island, CUNY)

What does it mean that an event C “actually caused” event E? The problem of defining actual causation goes beyond mere philosophical speculation.  For example, in many legal arguments, it is precisely what needs to be established in order to determine responsibility.   (What exactly was the actual cause of the car accident or the medical problem?) The philosophy literature has been struggling with the problem of defining causality since the days of Hume, in the 1700s. Many of the definitions have been couched in terms of counterfactuals. (C is a cause of E if, had C not happened, then E would not have happened.) In 2001, Judea Pearl and I introduced a new definition of actual cause, using Pearl’s notion of structural equations to model counterfactuals.  The definition has been revised twice since then, extended to deal with notions like “responsibility” and “blame”, and applied in databases and program verification.  I survey the last 15 years of work here, including joint work with Judea Pearl, Hana Chockler, and Chris Hitchcock. The talk will be completely self-contained.

Since Confucianism is an intergenerational phenomenon, it should have unique insights into ethical issues surrounding our obligations to future generations. In the first part of this discussion, I examine two contemporary Confucian perspectives on intergenerational ethics. Proponents of Confucian Role Ethics have developed an interpretation of xiao 孝 as “intergenerational reverence” that binds the community together over time by reference to shared cultural models and evolving ethical values. The Chinese thinker Jiang Qing in turn argues for a political constitution in which the state depends not just on the will of presently existing citizens, but also serves to preserve and transmit the values of the past for the sake of future generations. While both interpretations share in common a critique of Western individualism and rights-based ethical framework, Jiang’s account of Confucian intergenerationality rests on the authority of tradition, whereas Confucian Role Ethics prioritizes the uniqueness of the situation at hand. In the second half of the discussion, I develop an alternative Confucian approach that is aligned with virtue ethics. On this view, our present virtue is the point of departure for understanding our relations with the past and future. I examine passages in early Confucian texts that suggest a notion of intergenerational virtue, which brings together various dispositions to see our own flourishing as linked with both past and future generations.

With a response from:

Susan Blake (Bard College)