2024 LONDON CRITICAL THEORY FRIDAY DEBATE #2
When:
—
Venue:
Birkbeck Clore Management Centre
The Birkbeck Institute for the Humanities' annual London Critical Theory Summer School is taking place over two weeks from 24th June - 5th July 2024.
Each Summer School explores the genealogy and reach of critical theory, whilst encouraging intellectual elaboration and reflection. Our aim is to stimulate progressive, dissident being and thinking.
The necessity for such thinking is as critical as ever today. Across the world reactionary and racist governments enshrine inhumane policies in law, and turn their eyes away from climate catastrophe. Over the past years, some right populist politicians have been defeated, others have been elected (Italy, Finland), or are aiming at a second chance in power. The world is faced with increased inequality, inhumane asylum policies, licensed ethno-nationalism, so-called 'culture wars', and vicious misogyny, newly exposed but undefeated. As we write, the Russian assault on Ukraine continues and the conflict in Israel-Palestine has been pitched into new levels of violence. We now exist on the other side of a global pandemic that introduced and extended myriad social and technological changes whose long-term effects remain to be understood. At the same time, we are offered hope by the rise in protest movements, even when met with the increased force of state, and the creativity of cultural and artistic production whose energies and commitment promise a better future. Our summer school offers a place to explore the ramifications of all this and to ask what it means to wield criticism against contemporary oppression while turning our thought towards freedom.
This internationally renowned Summer School enables graduate students and academics to engage in a two-week course of day-time study with acclaimed critical thinkers. At the end of each week, these thinkers join together for a public panel discussion.
This week's public panel debate will be chaired by Prof Esther Leslie. We are delighted to welcome for this event Isaac Julien, alongside our returning speakers, Costas Douzinas, Oscar Guardiola-Rivera, Kojo Koram, Jacqueline Rose and Slavoj Zizek.
The event is free to attend but registration is required. It will be recorded and livestreamed.
Contact name:
Elia Ntaousani - BIH Manager