From the turn of the century UK-based human geography in particular has witnessed a rapid upsurge of interest in new conceptualisations of, for example, practice, performance, politics, embodiment and materiality. This reading group regularly meets to read philosophical works and trans-disciplinary materials that can inform the ongoing evolution of 'non-representational geographies'. Readings are rich and varied, for example: significant discussion within the group (and beyond) has been inspired by continental philosophers such as Badiou, Deleuze, Nancy and Ranciere as well as with recent developments in what has come to be known as 'Speculative Materialism/Realism'. Whilst the reading group is formally situated in the School of Geographical Sciences, regular participants come from across the Humanities and Social Sciences and from other institutions. We welcome participation from those with a keen interest in critically engaging with contemporary philosophical debates in the humanities, social sciences and science.

Thursday 23 June 2011

The Hermeneutics of the Subject


"I shall leave it to Death to determine what progress I have made ... I am making ready for the day when I am to pass judgement on myself - whether I am merely declaiming brave sentiments or whether I really feel them" - Seneca, Letter 26 in 'Moral Essays'; quoted in Foucault, HotS 2006: 505 and in Ethics 1997:105.

The idea is to read six lectures per week - around 20 pages each lecture; to then discuss these broadly lecture by lecture in the six lecture blocks; and to thus use this the Vibrant Matter blog to post thoughts lecture by lecture to archive points. So in a different way to previously, the idea is more to read through the lectures under your own steam, if you miss a week or two to keep up the reading, and for us all to extract the general methodological, philosophical and ethical trajectory of Foucault's late work - that in the second from last and last lectures rather wonderfully and movingly is very self reflexive on these terms.
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