PHIL 340 - Seminar in Continental Philosophy

Semester Offered: Fall
1 unit(s)

Topic for 2020/21a: Social Ontologies. What constitutes a group, or a people? What are the ethico-moral, social, political, metaphysical, and epistemic ties that bind individuals to one another, and what are the conditions (historical or trans-historical) for the possibility for sustained and evolving group-belonging? What are the ways groups address and are addressed? These questions are used to introduce the topic of social ontologies, the name given to thinking the forms of the being of social existences. Rather than just look at particular movements in historical circumstances, special attention is paid to thinking the (historical) essence and situatedness of groups, moments and movements, their goals and the obstacles they meet, their benefits and limitations. Building off of social contract theories, Enlightenment philosophies, and 19th century political movements, this course addresses the state, status, and activity of social ontologies for the 21st century. Readings include writings by: Agamben, Ahmed, Badiou, de Beauvoir, Brown, Butler, Collins, Du Bois, Fanon, Hardt&Negri, Hartman, Moten, Muñoz, Nancy, Sartre, Virno. Osman Nemli.

One 3-hour period.

Course Format: CLS