glocal whatever identities vs. whatever singularities - suzana milevska @ glocal: inside social...

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Suzana Milevska Suzana Milevska 17.10.2009 17.10.2009 Glocal: Inside New Media Glocal: Inside New Media New York University Skopje New York University Skopje Whatever Identities Whatever Identities vs. Whatever Singularities vs. Whatever Singularities

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Page 1: Glocal Whatever Identities Vs. Whatever Singularities - Suzana Milevska @ Glocal: Inside Social Media

Suzana MilevskaSuzana Milevska

17.10.200917.10.2009Glocal: Inside New MediaGlocal: Inside New MediaNew York University SkopjeNew York University Skopje

Whatever Identities Whatever Identities vs. Whatever Singularitiesvs. Whatever Singularities

Page 2: Glocal Whatever Identities Vs. Whatever Singularities - Suzana Milevska @ Glocal: Inside Social Media

This paper will explore the role that new social media such as facebook and other personal and collective blogs had played in the first organised public outburst of articulated protests against collective identity in Macedonia.

Page 3: Glocal Whatever Identities Vs. Whatever Singularities - Suzana Milevska @ Glocal: Inside Social Media

Actually this paper was triggered by the event now known as “The First Architectural Insurgence” that took place on 28 March 2009 on the main city square in Skopje.

Page 4: Glocal Whatever Identities Vs. Whatever Singularities - Suzana Milevska @ Glocal: Inside Social Media

http://www.a1.com.mk/vesti/default.aspx?VestID=106431

The First Architectural Insurgence

28.03.2009, Skopje, Republic of Macedonia

Initially the protests were imagined as calm and in advance announced protests of the students of the Faculty of Architecture who decided to raise their voice against the Government and the Constitutional Court for backing up the contested decision to build an Orthodox Church on the main Skopje square with public money and without consultation with the citizens or any decent public discussion.

Page 5: Glocal Whatever Identities Vs. Whatever Singularities - Suzana Milevska @ Glocal: Inside Social Media

The main arguments against building of the church and the protests’ date were mainly announced via the frequently used social media by most of the students and the main organisers and supporters of the protests.

Page 6: Glocal Whatever Identities Vs. Whatever Singularities - Suzana Milevska @ Glocal: Inside Social Media

The complex implications of this event and the role of social media in Macedonia in it will be discussed starting from Giorgio Agamben’s concept of belonging and Ernesto Laclau’s concept - particularity of belonging.

Page 7: Glocal Whatever Identities Vs. Whatever Singularities - Suzana Milevska @ Glocal: Inside Social Media

Namely both Agamben and Laclau expressed their reserves for the particularity of belonging but while Agamben went for belonging as complete and unconditional, by stating that whatever singularities stand for a kind of universal "belonging of a belonging” or "the belonging itself", in Laclau’s views although universality is “incommensurable with any particularity” it cannot be completely thought apart of particular.

Page 8: Glocal Whatever Identities Vs. Whatever Singularities - Suzana Milevska @ Glocal: Inside Social Media

I find important to examine the oscillations between the universality - collective identities and particularity that obviously have been put at stake during the Skopje student protests.

In my paper I want to argue that the social media had an extremely sensitive and manifold role in the course of the events because they could not be controlled by only one of the groups involved in the conflict and were available to all different sides for various aims and therefore enhanced the oscillatory nature of identity.

Page 9: Glocal Whatever Identities Vs. Whatever Singularities - Suzana Milevska @ Glocal: Inside Social Media

The report about the fulfilment of the The report about the fulfilment of the 8 benchmarks that accompanied the 8 benchmarks that accompanied the EC recommendation for accession in EC recommendation for accession in EU, delivered to the Macedonian EU, delivered to the Macedonian Government on 15 October, included Government on 15 October, included many critical remarks after each many critical remarks after each benchmark. benchmark.

Page 10: Glocal Whatever Identities Vs. Whatever Singularities - Suzana Milevska @ Glocal: Inside Social Media

Amongst the remarks there is Amongst the remarks there is

a harsh criticism directed to the lack a harsh criticism directed to the lack of freedom of speech in the media. of freedom of speech in the media. The accuracy in conveying of The accuracy in conveying of information was questioned side by information was questioned side by side with a criticism of side with a criticism of monopolisation and politicisation of monopolisation and politicisation of mainstream media. mainstream media.

Page 11: Glocal Whatever Identities Vs. Whatever Singularities - Suzana Milevska @ Glocal: Inside Social Media

Not very surprising, if we take into Not very surprising, if we take into account the events from 28.03.2009 account the events from 28.03.2009 that took place on the Skopje main that took place on the Skopje main Square, called Macedonia.Square, called Macedonia.

Page 12: Glocal Whatever Identities Vs. Whatever Singularities - Suzana Milevska @ Glocal: Inside Social Media

There was no mention of social There was no mention of social media in that report.media in that report.

Page 13: Glocal Whatever Identities Vs. Whatever Singularities - Suzana Milevska @ Glocal: Inside Social Media

28.03.2009, the main square, Skopje Republic of Macedonia

Page 14: Glocal Whatever Identities Vs. Whatever Singularities - Suzana Milevska @ Glocal: Inside Social Media
Page 15: Glocal Whatever Identities Vs. Whatever Singularities - Suzana Milevska @ Glocal: Inside Social Media
Page 16: Glocal Whatever Identities Vs. Whatever Singularities - Suzana Milevska @ Glocal: Inside Social Media

A1 News, Terror over democracy, 29.03.2009

http://www.a1.com.mk/vesti/video.asp?Video=09/tepanje-28-03.wmv&VestID=106431

Page 17: Glocal Whatever Identities Vs. Whatever Singularities - Suzana Milevska @ Glocal: Inside Social Media

Sitel news, Students manipulate protest, Sitel news, Students manipulate protest, 28.03.200928.03.2009

Sitel news, Goup of students provoked Sitel news, Goup of students provoked violence directed by SDSM, 28.09.2009violence directed by SDSM, 28.09.2009

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ArDn9_WUNk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qEdfZb6iGSE&feature=related

Page 18: Glocal Whatever Identities Vs. Whatever Singularities - Suzana Milevska @ Glocal: Inside Social Media

Facebook group: Plostad slobodaFacebook group: Plostad sloboda http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eihttp://www.facebook.com/event.php?ei

d=82168370468#d=82168370468#

385 members385 members 1,371 confirmed guest, April Saturday 1,371 confirmed guest, April Saturday

11 April 200911 April 2009 1,416 might attend, 2,749 not 1,416 might attend, 2,749 not

confirmed, 1,708 confirmed not confirmed, 1,708 confirmed not attending attending

Page 20: Glocal Whatever Identities Vs. Whatever Singularities - Suzana Milevska @ Glocal: Inside Social Media

Related groups:Related groups:

Ne sakam crkva na plostad 7,455 membersNe sakam crkva na plostad 7,455 membershttp://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=82168370468#/group.php?gid=23929081105

Prva Arhi Brigada, 4,768 membersPrva Arhi Brigada, 4,768 membershttp://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=82168370468#/group.php?gid=61204922527

Page 21: Glocal Whatever Identities Vs. Whatever Singularities - Suzana Milevska @ Glocal: Inside Social Media

Jean-Francois LyotardJean-Francois Lyotard, ,

The Differend: Phrases in DisputeThe Differend: Phrases in Dispute

A A differenddifferend is a case of conflict is a case of conflict between parties that cannot be between parties that cannot be equitably resolved for lack of a equitably resolved for lack of a rule of rule of judgementjudgement applicable to applicable to both. In the case of a both. In the case of a differenddifferend, , the parties cannot agree on a the parties cannot agree on a rule or criterion by which their rule or criterion by which their dispute might be decided. dispute might be decided.

Page 22: Glocal Whatever Identities Vs. Whatever Singularities - Suzana Milevska @ Glocal: Inside Social Media

differend vs. litigationdifferend vs. litigation

A differend is opposed to a litigation - a A differend is opposed to a litigation - a dispute which can be equitably dispute which can be equitably resolved because the parties involved resolved because the parties involved can agree on a rule of judgement. can agree on a rule of judgement.

Page 23: Glocal Whatever Identities Vs. Whatever Singularities - Suzana Milevska @ Glocal: Inside Social Media

victim-plaintiffvictim-plaintiff Lyotard distinguishes the victim from the Lyotard distinguishes the victim from the

plaintiff. The later is the wronged party in plaintiff. The later is the wronged party in a litigation; the former, the wronged party a litigation; the former, the wronged party in a differend. in a differend.

In a litigation, the plaintiff's wrong can be In a litigation, the plaintiff's wrong can be presented. presented.

In a differend, the victim’s wrong cannot In a differend, the victim’s wrong cannot be presented. A victim, for Lyotard, is not be presented. A victim, for Lyotard, is not just someone who has been wronged, but just someone who has been wronged, but someone who has also lost the power to someone who has also lost the power to present this wrong. present this wrong.

Page 24: Glocal Whatever Identities Vs. Whatever Singularities - Suzana Milevska @ Glocal: Inside Social Media

This disempowerment can occur This disempowerment can occur in in

several ways: it may quite literally several ways: it may quite literally be a be a

silencing; the victim may be silencing; the victim may be threatened threatened

into silence or in some other way into silence or in some other way disallowed to speak.disallowed to speak. Alternatively, the victim may be Alternatively, the victim may be

ableableto speak, but that speech is to speak, but that speech is

unable to unable to present the wrong done in the present the wrong done in the discourse of the rule of judgment. discourse of the rule of judgment.

Page 25: Glocal Whatever Identities Vs. Whatever Singularities - Suzana Milevska @ Glocal: Inside Social Media

The victim may not be believed, or The victim may not be believed, or not be understood. The discourse of not be understood. The discourse of the rule of judgment may be such the rule of judgment may be such that the victim's wrong cannot be that the victim's wrong cannot be translated into its terms; the wrong translated into its terms; the wrong may not be presentable as a wrong. may not be presentable as a wrong.

Page 26: Glocal Whatever Identities Vs. Whatever Singularities - Suzana Milevska @ Glocal: Inside Social Media

Contemporary globalised  condition inevitably pushes towards hierarchised system of belonging in which belonging to a certain community, region, group

or association according to appropriate particular properties or attributes becomes the basic requirement on which the negotiations of one’s own identity

are founded.

Page 27: Glocal Whatever Identities Vs. Whatever Singularities - Suzana Milevska @ Glocal: Inside Social Media

However, there is nothing to negotiate in belonging proposed by Gorgio Agamben: it is complete and

unconditional, "being-such", or more precisely "the belonging itself". Gorgio Agamben,

The Coming Community, 1990

Page 28: Glocal Whatever Identities Vs. Whatever Singularities - Suzana Milevska @ Glocal: Inside Social Media

The phrase “Whatever singularities”

for Agamben stands for

“belonging without belonging“,

for a kind of universal

"belonging of a belonging”

Page 29: Glocal Whatever Identities Vs. Whatever Singularities - Suzana Milevska @ Glocal: Inside Social Media

Such belonging should function without any specific attribute or property that usually defines belonging to a certain

set or group. 

Page 30: Glocal Whatever Identities Vs. Whatever Singularities - Suzana Milevska @ Glocal: Inside Social Media

Similarly Laclau rejects the possibility of formulating the Enlightenment notion of a totalising universal identity, and with it washes down the drain any project of uniting the world under a single banner of rationality.

However he rejects any view of the world as a place populated by particular identity groups with no hope of commonality, as was according Agamben the students’ group in the Tiananmen Square during Chinese May protests.

Page 31: Glocal Whatever Identities Vs. Whatever Singularities - Suzana Milevska @ Glocal: Inside Social Media

Just as a reminder, for Agamben the most relevant distinction of the Tiananmen events (14 April-4 June1989) was the relative absence of determinate contents in the students’ demands (except the demand to mourn Hu Yaobang, an official who fought for reforms against corruption that died on 15 April).

Page 32: Glocal Whatever Identities Vs. Whatever Singularities - Suzana Milevska @ Glocal: Inside Social Media

That is exactly what any state cannot tolerate in any way, that the singularities form a community without affirming an identity, that humans co-belong without any representable condition of belonging.

(Agamben, The Coming Community, p.86)

Page 33: Glocal Whatever Identities Vs. Whatever Singularities - Suzana Milevska @ Glocal: Inside Social Media

For Laclau a radically alternative analysis of the relationship between universal and particular is needed, namely, a marriage between the two: they can’t live with each other, can’t live without each other,

‘universality is incommensurable with any particularity but cannot, however, exist apart from the particular’

(Ernesto Laclau, Emancipation(s), p34).

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Such paradox whose non-solution was already

known in analytic philosophy (as ‘immanent

universals’) is according to Laclau

‘the very precondition of democracy’.

Page 35: Glocal Whatever Identities Vs. Whatever Singularities - Suzana Milevska @ Glocal: Inside Social Media

While the concept of human rights developed during the French Revolution was based on implicit assumptions about the homogeneity of the society at that time,

today we have no homogenous society in

this sense, since this would need the universal notion without any particularities that both Laclau and Agamben question from different perspective.

Page 36: Glocal Whatever Identities Vs. Whatever Singularities - Suzana Milevska @ Glocal: Inside Social Media

If democracy is possible, it is because the universal has no necessary body and no necessary content; different groups, instead, compete between themselves to temporarily claim the universal and to give to their particularisms a function of universal representation….

This for Laclau is ultimately the final failure of society to constitute itself as a society.

Page 37: Glocal Whatever Identities Vs. Whatever Singularities - Suzana Milevska @ Glocal: Inside Social Media

The unity of a political group is the result of an articulation of demands.

• The unity of a political group is actually The unity of a political group is actually the result of an articulation of demands. the result of an articulation of demands.

• However, the articulation of this unity However, the articulation of this unity does not correspond to some pre-does not correspond to some pre-established positive entity. established positive entity.

Page 38: Glocal Whatever Identities Vs. Whatever Singularities - Suzana Milevska @ Glocal: Inside Social Media

• The multitude of groups with claims The multitude of groups with claims against the oppressive regimes exists in against the oppressive regimes exists in different relationship to each other. different relationship to each other.

• They are divided by social, economic, religious or political They are divided by social, economic, religious or political antagonisms.antagonisms.

(Laclau, (Laclau, On Populist Reason, On Populist Reason, 2005)2005)

Page 39: Glocal Whatever Identities Vs. Whatever Singularities - Suzana Milevska @ Glocal: Inside Social Media

It is the shared negativity, the It is the shared negativity, the collective opposition of the collective opposition of the emancipatory subjects that unites emancipatory subjects that unites them against the dominant regime.them against the dominant regime.

Page 40: Glocal Whatever Identities Vs. Whatever Singularities - Suzana Milevska @ Glocal: Inside Social Media

The naming of the emancipatory subjects or The naming of the emancipatory subjects or groups is not something that precedes the groups is not something that precedes the emancipatory struggle. emancipatory struggle.

When the various political agents come When the various political agents come together to articulate the same demands together to articulate the same demands against the oppressive regime the new political against the oppressive regime the new political unity - the “people” emerges as something that unity - the “people” emerges as something that is discursively constructed in this process of is discursively constructed in this process of

emancipatory struggle.emancipatory struggle.

Page 41: Glocal Whatever Identities Vs. Whatever Singularities - Suzana Milevska @ Glocal: Inside Social Media

Actually what I want to discuss here is the urgent need to fight for legitimate possibilities for negotiation of our own position in the society between these two radical oppositions, between: - the universal “whatever singularities"  and - the particularity of belonging 

that ultimately result in an endless  process of oscillation.

Page 42: Glocal Whatever Identities Vs. Whatever Singularities - Suzana Milevska @ Glocal: Inside Social Media

I want to argue that such oscillations not only may reconcile or subvert the “representable condition of belonging” based on particularities but they also relativise the unconditional “whatever” belonging.

Gianni Vattimo,The Transparent Society, 1992  

Page 43: Glocal Whatever Identities Vs. Whatever Singularities - Suzana Milevska @ Glocal: Inside Social Media

The subject therefore seems to long for a

position in which a continuous process of negotiating various belongings would give way even to potentiality not-to-belong.

Page 44: Glocal Whatever Identities Vs. Whatever Singularities - Suzana Milevska @ Glocal: Inside Social Media

My question on this occasion is actually how one negotiates such "belonging without belonging", and how one circumvents the requirements to abide to the particular belonging. Moreover, I want to call for the potentiality of not-to-belong that is not available to negotiations in the conditions where nation-states “govern too much”.

Page 45: Glocal Whatever Identities Vs. Whatever Singularities - Suzana Milevska @ Glocal: Inside Social Media

Here I refer to the contingency and Here I refer to the contingency and potentiality of potentiality of not-to-belong,not-to-belong, following the Bartelbean formula following the Bartelbean formula “I-prefer-not-to” and thus I am trying to call “I-prefer-not-to” and thus I am trying to call into question the supremacy of the will to into question the supremacy of the will to belong and the potentiality not-to-belong.belong and the potentiality not-to-belong.

Page 46: Glocal Whatever Identities Vs. Whatever Singularities - Suzana Milevska @ Glocal: Inside Social Media
Page 48: Glocal Whatever Identities Vs. Whatever Singularities - Suzana Milevska @ Glocal: Inside Social Media
Page 49: Glocal Whatever Identities Vs. Whatever Singularities - Suzana Milevska @ Glocal: Inside Social Media

02.02.2006, Cinema Kultura, Skopje02.02.2006, Cinema Kultura, Skopje

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Page 51: Glocal Whatever Identities Vs. Whatever Singularities - Suzana Milevska @ Glocal: Inside Social Media

What is being usurped here? What is being usurped here?

- The very expression of potential.- The very expression of potential. - The movement of relationality. - The movement of relationality.

- Becoming-together. Belonging. - Becoming-together. Belonging.

Page 52: Glocal Whatever Identities Vs. Whatever Singularities - Suzana Milevska @ Glocal: Inside Social Media

Agamben writes, Agamben writes,

"that the passage from potentiality "that the passage from potentiality to act, from common form to to act, from common form to singularity, is not an event singularity, is not an event accomplished once and for all, but an accomplished once and for all, but an infinite series of modal oscillations". infinite series of modal oscillations".

Page 53: Glocal Whatever Identities Vs. Whatever Singularities - Suzana Milevska @ Glocal: Inside Social Media

"To live in this pluralistic world "To live in this pluralistic world means to experience freedom means to experience freedom as a continual oscillation between as a continual oscillation between belonging andbelonging and disorientation." disorientation."

Gianni Vattimo, The Transparent Society, 2002

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fixed identities vs. fixed identities vs. negotiating belongingnegotiating belonging

Page 55: Glocal Whatever Identities Vs. Whatever Singularities - Suzana Milevska @ Glocal: Inside Social Media

Negotiation is necessary when Negotiation is necessary when one party requires the other one party requires the other party's agreement to achieve its party's agreement to achieve its aim. aim.

Negotiations differ from mere Negotiations differ from mere coercion, in that negotiating coercion, in that negotiating parties have the theoretic parties have the theoretic possibility to veto or to withdraw possibility to veto or to withdraw from negotiations. from negotiations.

Page 56: Glocal Whatever Identities Vs. Whatever Singularities - Suzana Milevska @ Glocal: Inside Social Media

Throughout this paper l tried to show how new social media,

on the one hand, enabled introducing the social

media’s power and offered new arguments in favour of negotiation identities on a larger scale in the ongoing debate,

but on the other hand I showed how at certain extent they put some more fuel to the severe reactions of the public, and even enabled the Government to easier find the needed “arguments” for prosecuting some of the calm protestors.

Page 57: Glocal Whatever Identities Vs. Whatever Singularities - Suzana Milevska @ Glocal: Inside Social Media

http://www.a1.com.mk/vesti/video.ashttp://www.a1.com.mk/vesti/video.asp?Video=09/predrag-16-10.wmv&Vep?Video=09/predrag-16-10.wmv&VestID=115059stID=115059