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"Anarchism and Philosophy," Aug. 19-21, 2005
Foster writes:
"Jacques Ranciere and Radical Equality"
Free Society Collective’s Seminar on Anarchism and Philosophy
Todd May and Peter Staudenmaier
August 19-21, 2005
Cosponsored by the Institute for Anarchist Studies and Black Sheep Books
French theorist Jacques Ranciere has promoted an idea of politics as acting from the presumption of radical equality—a presumption most societies deny in their actions if not in their words. His ideas intersect with both anarchist theory and with the thought of recent theorists like Michel Foucault. We will discuss how Ranciere’s ideas might help us think through political organization and political action. Each of the three sessions will consider one chapter from Ranciere’s 100-page “On the Shores of Politics” (it is highly recommended that participants read chapters 2–4 in advance of this seminar).
Todd May is a professor of philosophy at Clemson University. He has written on recent French thought, including the intersection of anarchism and poststructuralism, and is author of several books, including “The Political Philosophy of Poststructuralist Anarchism.” Todd has also been active in a variety of politics movements, in particular the resistance to Israel's occupation of Palestine.
Dialectical Thinking in Practice: A Participatory Reading of Hegel
Presenter: Peter Staudenmaier
Dialectical thinking has played a crucial role in the analyses of modern society put forward by a range of radical critics of capitalism and the state. Anarchism's theoretical and practical profile can be enriched by engaging with the formidable, but rewarding tradition of dialectical thought. This study seminar will focus squarely on a single text, the notoriously challenging preface to Hegel's “Phenomenology of Spirit” (in “Hegel: Texts and Commentary,” by Walter Kaufmann, University of Notre Dame Press; participants are encouraged to read the preface ahead of time). We will read the text together and attempt to draw out the dialectical structure of the argument it presents, while relating its insights to our own experience. No prior knowledge of Hegel is required, but a willingness to engage with often-difficult philosophical writing is necessary.
Peter Staudenmaier has been in involved in anarchist politics since the 1980s. He is currently a graduate student at Cornell University, focusing on modern European intellectual history. His perspective on dialectical philosophy is strongly influenced by the Frankfurt school and social ecology.
Format and Schedule
The seminar is a three-day study program, which takes place over the course of a long weekend, and attendance will be capped at 20-25 people so that participants have the opportunity to fully engage in the program. Todd’s three-session course will run Friday evening, Saturday day, and Sunday morning; Peter’s three-session course will run Friday afternoon, Saturday day, and Sunday early afternoon. Each presenter will give a lecture or formal presentation, followed by plenty of time for discussion, in and outside the sessions themselves. In short, the weekend seminar functions as both an intensive course and an ongoing conversation. The presenters have suggested short readings prior to and/or during the weekend in order to further focus and ground the discussion (see their course descriptions). We will not be providing these readings, so please buy the two books and bring them with you to the seminar.
Cost and Location
This seminar series is self-financing; the FSC has no outside funding, or a funding source of its own. Thus, the overall seminar costs will simply be divided by the number of participants, with the goal of making each weekend series as affordable as possible. The cost for a weekend seminar will not exceed $75 per person for the course; some meals will also be included. Floor space will be available for sleeping (bring your own gear); we’ll do our best to arrange more comfy accommodations in someone’s home, if needed). The seminars will take place in the historic socialist and anarchist Old Labor Hall in Barre, Vermont.
To Register (Deadline: August 1)
For more information or to discuss registration, contact both Rob Augman (rob@riseup.net) and Cindy Milstein (cbmilstein@yahoo.com). Seminar space is limited, so get in touch with us soon if you’re interested in attending. Please note: once you’ve registered, you’ll need to send us $50 in advance to reserve your spot (if the seminar costs more than $50, participants can pay the additional $10 to $25 when they arrive).
Future Seminars
If you have an idea for seminar topics and/or presenters in the future (including yourself), please don’t hesitant to e-mail us with suggestions.
Mission
The Free Society Collective’s (FSC) seminar series aims to provide an independent space for ongoing inquiries into social, political, cultural, economic, historical, and other fields of study from an anti-authoritarian left perspective. The seminar series draws on a variety of radical traditions, revolutionary histories, contemporary social movements, and social and political analyses, including anarchism, Western and autonomous marxisms, and other libertarian left tendencies. By exploring the past as well as the present, these weekend-long seminars are meant to deepen our understanding of dynamic social phenomena such as capitalism, statecraft, racism, gender, and the devastation of the natural world, to name a few. The seminars are also a way of reclaiming our own education and scholarship—by mentoring, learning from, and challenging each other in a highly participatory setting. And over time, it is the FSC’s hope that this seminar series will contribute to the development of public intellectuals, theoretical insights, and sophisticated forms of praxis as well as social organization in our struggle for a nonhierarchical, egalitarian society.
About the Free Society Collective
FSC is a small, radical Left tendency based in central Vermont. We seek the abolition of capitalism, the state, and all other social relations built on coercion, hierarchy, and oppression. To that end, we engage in a politics of resistance that simultaneously highlights a reconstructive vision. In critical solidarity with anti-authoritarian social movements around the globe, we work toward a free and ecological society premised on mutual aid, confederated direct democracy, and a liberatory culture. For more info, see http://www.freesocietycollective.org.
About the Institute for Anarchist Studies
The IAS, a nonprofit foundation established in 1996 to support the development of anarchism, is a grant-giving organization for radical writers and translators around the world. The IAS also supports the Latin American Archives Project, sponsors the Renewing the Anarchist Tradition (RAT) conference, and publishes a biannual magazine, Perspectives on Anarchist Theory, to cultivate community among those interested in the development of anarchism. The IAS is part of a larger movement to radically transform society as well. It is internally democratic and works in solidarity with people around the globe who share its values. For more information, see http://www.anarchist-studies.org/.
About Black Sheep Books
Black Sheep Books is an all-volunteer workers’ collective specializing in radical and scholarly used books. Areas of particular note include anarchism and socialism/marxism, queer and gender studies, social theory and political philosophy, labor studies, history, media and film studies, literature, current events and activism, plus much more. Also, Black Sheep regularly hosts various educational, political, and activist events from talks and discussions to films and performances, and attempts to build an open and accessible community space. Black Sheep Books is located at 4 Langdon Street (inside and above the Langdon Street Collective Café), Montpelier, Vermont. For more information, see http://www.blacksheepbooks.org."
Foster writes:
"Jacques Ranciere and Radical Equality"
Free Society Collective’s Seminar on Anarchism and Philosophy
Todd May and Peter Staudenmaier
August 19-21, 2005
Cosponsored by the Institute for Anarchist Studies and Black Sheep Books
French theorist Jacques Ranciere has promoted an idea of politics as acting from the presumption of radical equality—a presumption most societies deny in their actions if not in their words. His ideas intersect with both anarchist theory and with the thought of recent theorists like Michel Foucault. We will discuss how Ranciere’s ideas might help us think through political organization and political action. Each of the three sessions will consider one chapter from Ranciere’s 100-page “On the Shores of Politics” (it is highly recommended that participants read chapters 2–4 in advance of this seminar).
Todd May is a professor of philosophy at Clemson University. He has written on recent French thought, including the intersection of anarchism and poststructuralism, and is author of several books, including “The Political Philosophy of Poststructuralist Anarchism.” Todd has also been active in a variety of politics movements, in particular the resistance to Israel's occupation of Palestine.
Dialectical Thinking in Practice: A Participatory Reading of Hegel
Presenter: Peter Staudenmaier
Dialectical thinking has played a crucial role in the analyses of modern society put forward by a range of radical critics of capitalism and the state. Anarchism's theoretical and practical profile can be enriched by engaging with the formidable, but rewarding tradition of dialectical thought. This study seminar will focus squarely on a single text, the notoriously challenging preface to Hegel's “Phenomenology of Spirit” (in “Hegel: Texts and Commentary,” by Walter Kaufmann, University of Notre Dame Press; participants are encouraged to read the preface ahead of time). We will read the text together and attempt to draw out the dialectical structure of the argument it presents, while relating its insights to our own experience. No prior knowledge of Hegel is required, but a willingness to engage with often-difficult philosophical writing is necessary.
Peter Staudenmaier has been in involved in anarchist politics since the 1980s. He is currently a graduate student at Cornell University, focusing on modern European intellectual history. His perspective on dialectical philosophy is strongly influenced by the Frankfurt school and social ecology.
Format and Schedule
The seminar is a three-day study program, which takes place over the course of a long weekend, and attendance will be capped at 20-25 people so that participants have the opportunity to fully engage in the program. Todd’s three-session course will run Friday evening, Saturday day, and Sunday morning; Peter’s three-session course will run Friday afternoon, Saturday day, and Sunday early afternoon. Each presenter will give a lecture or formal presentation, followed by plenty of time for discussion, in and outside the sessions themselves. In short, the weekend seminar functions as both an intensive course and an ongoing conversation. The presenters have suggested short readings prior to and/or during the weekend in order to further focus and ground the discussion (see their course descriptions). We will not be providing these readings, so please buy the two books and bring them with you to the seminar.
Cost and Location
This seminar series is self-financing; the FSC has no outside funding, or a funding source of its own. Thus, the overall seminar costs will simply be divided by the number of participants, with the goal of making each weekend series as affordable as possible. The cost for a weekend seminar will not exceed $75 per person for the course; some meals will also be included. Floor space will be available for sleeping (bring your own gear); we’ll do our best to arrange more comfy accommodations in someone’s home, if needed). The seminars will take place in the historic socialist and anarchist Old Labor Hall in Barre, Vermont.
To Register (Deadline: August 1)
For more information or to discuss registration, contact both Rob Augman (rob@riseup.net) and Cindy Milstein (cbmilstein@yahoo.com). Seminar space is limited, so get in touch with us soon if you’re interested in attending. Please note: once you’ve registered, you’ll need to send us $50 in advance to reserve your spot (if the seminar costs more than $50, participants can pay the additional $10 to $25 when they arrive).
Future Seminars
If you have an idea for seminar topics and/or presenters in the future (including yourself), please don’t hesitant to e-mail us with suggestions.
Mission
The Free Society Collective’s (FSC) seminar series aims to provide an independent space for ongoing inquiries into social, political, cultural, economic, historical, and other fields of study from an anti-authoritarian left perspective. The seminar series draws on a variety of radical traditions, revolutionary histories, contemporary social movements, and social and political analyses, including anarchism, Western and autonomous marxisms, and other libertarian left tendencies. By exploring the past as well as the present, these weekend-long seminars are meant to deepen our understanding of dynamic social phenomena such as capitalism, statecraft, racism, gender, and the devastation of the natural world, to name a few. The seminars are also a way of reclaiming our own education and scholarship—by mentoring, learning from, and challenging each other in a highly participatory setting. And over time, it is the FSC’s hope that this seminar series will contribute to the development of public intellectuals, theoretical insights, and sophisticated forms of praxis as well as social organization in our struggle for a nonhierarchical, egalitarian society.
About the Free Society Collective
FSC is a small, radical Left tendency based in central Vermont. We seek the abolition of capitalism, the state, and all other social relations built on coercion, hierarchy, and oppression. To that end, we engage in a politics of resistance that simultaneously highlights a reconstructive vision. In critical solidarity with anti-authoritarian social movements around the globe, we work toward a free and ecological society premised on mutual aid, confederated direct democracy, and a liberatory culture. For more info, see http://www.freesocietycollective.org.
About the Institute for Anarchist Studies
The IAS, a nonprofit foundation established in 1996 to support the development of anarchism, is a grant-giving organization for radical writers and translators around the world. The IAS also supports the Latin American Archives Project, sponsors the Renewing the Anarchist Tradition (RAT) conference, and publishes a biannual magazine, Perspectives on Anarchist Theory, to cultivate community among those interested in the development of anarchism. The IAS is part of a larger movement to radically transform society as well. It is internally democratic and works in solidarity with people around the globe who share its values. For more information, see http://www.anarchist-studies.org/.
About Black Sheep Books
Black Sheep Books is an all-volunteer workers’ collective specializing in radical and scholarly used books. Areas of particular note include anarchism and socialism/marxism, queer and gender studies, social theory and political philosophy, labor studies, history, media and film studies, literature, current events and activism, plus much more. Also, Black Sheep regularly hosts various educational, political, and activist events from talks and discussions to films and performances, and attempts to build an open and accessible community space. Black Sheep Books is located at 4 Langdon Street (inside and above the Langdon Street Collective Café), Montpelier, Vermont. For more information, see http://www.blacksheepbooks.org."