Videos from CFFCS and Birkbeck events
The Centre for French, Francophone and Comparative Studies at Birkbeck works closely with artists, writers and poets, philosophers, and other cultural figures outside of academia. Here are recordings of discussions, talks and roundtables.
Jean-Luc Nancy Roundtable discussion
French philosopher Jean-Luc Nancy joins Birkbeck's Nathalie Wourm for a roundtable discussion about his book and the coronavirus pandemic. They are joined by Irving Goh (NUS, Singapore), Ian James (Cambridge, UK), Rémi Astruc (Université de Cergy-Pontoise, France)
A Dialogue on Louis-Ferdinand Céline
Damian Catani’s biography of the controversial French novelist Louis-Ferdinand Céline was published by Reaktion Books in September 2021. Damian is in conversation with acclaimed French novelist Michaël Ferrier, on the question of whether it is possible to separate the art from the artist when the artist has as abhorrent political views as Céline had, especially considering the fact that his novels drew so much on his own life. However, the debate does not focus solely on this aspect of Céline; it will also explore the literary impact of the novelist
Watch the video of A Dialogue on Louis-Ferdinand Céline on YouTube
What can Poetry do for Community? – Roundtable discussion
What discourse does current poetic practice generate on community? Each guest speaker gives a five-minute talk. This is followed by a discussion and then by questions and comments from the audience .
Guest Speakers are poets Sarona Abuaker, Kayombo Chingonyi, Jérôme Game, Fran Lock, Matt Martin
Watch the video of What can Poetry do for Community? on YouTube
“The Scattered Community of the Eclipsed”: Paradigms of Belonging in the Wake of the 2020 Pandemic
Roundtable discussion around a short film – with Irving Goh (NUS, Singapore), Ian James (Cambridge, UK), Élodie Laugt (St Andrews, UK), Fabienne Martin (CNRS, France), Cory Stockwell (Bilkent, Turkey), Nathalie Wourm (Birkbeck, UK), Damian Catani (Birkbeck, UK).