Mark BahnischMark BahnischFinal Seminar – PhDFinal Seminar – PhD

13 November 200813 November 2008

The Phenomenology of Utopia: The Phenomenology of Utopia: Reframing Political SociologyReframing Political SociologyHumanities Program, Queensland Humanities Program, Queensland

University of TechnologyUniversity of Technology

Contexts IContexts I

► The end of the Cold War political imaginaryThe end of the Cold War political imaginary► Globalisation – not a useful social scientific Globalisation – not a useful social scientific

concept – an ideologeme but also a social factconcept – an ideologeme but also a social fact► Constatives and performatives – the closure Constatives and performatives – the closure

of the political imaginaryof the political imaginary► Francis Fukuyama’s “end of history” as a Francis Fukuyama’s “end of history” as a

symptomsymptom► But there is a real question – the question of But there is a real question – the question of

universals and anti-systemic actionuniversals and anti-systemic action► Reframing political sociology – a Reframing political sociology – a

phenomenology of the limits of the political phenomenology of the limits of the political and of performative invocations or injunctionsand of performative invocations or injunctions

Contexts IIContexts II

► A sociological question – the relation A sociological question – the relation between the discursive field of the political between the discursive field of the political and the possibilities of social actionand the possibilities of social action

►Walter Benjamin’s Walter Benjamin’s ThesesTheses as a parable as a parable A Weberian question – living for and off politicsA Weberian question – living for and off politics Political desires and affectsPolitical desires and affects

► Teleology, time, meaning, historyTeleology, time, meaning, history►Not universal laws but quasi-transcendental Not universal laws but quasi-transcendental

structures of experience (and action)structures of experience (and action)► The gesture towards utopia and the The gesture towards utopia and the novumnovum

as a horizon of present (im)possibilityas a horizon of present (im)possibility

Method and epistemologyMethod and epistemology

► Performativities of the textPerformativities of the text The positioning/s of the researcherThe positioning/s of the researcher Value-neutrality but an engaged critical sociologyValue-neutrality but an engaged critical sociology Montaigne, Simmel and Benjamin as exemplars – Montaigne, Simmel and Benjamin as exemplars –

shards and constellations of meaningshards and constellations of meaning► TikkunTikkun and the labour of the social theorist and the labour of the social theorist► A A prolegomena prolegomena not a closed thesisnot a closed thesis► Reading theorists as sociology and as Reading theorists as sociology and as

sociological artifactssociological artifacts► The role of the hypothesis or the wagerThe role of the hypothesis or the wager► Truth, adequation and conceptsTruth, adequation and concepts

Thinking the political Thinking the political imaginaryimaginary

► Cornelius Castoriadis and the social imaginaryCornelius Castoriadis and the social imaginary► Claude Lefort – the political foundation of the Claude Lefort – the political foundation of the

social – the political social – the political problematisesproblematises the social the social The universal is a The universal is a socially-institutedsocially-instituted mediation mediation

which gives sense to the fragments of the social – which gives sense to the fragments of the social – a a representationrepresentation or an imaginary signification. or an imaginary signification.

► Temporalising the political – maintaining Temporalising the political – maintaining history as iterative rather than progressivehistory as iterative rather than progressive

► The utopian imaginary – an elective affinityThe utopian imaginary – an elective affinity► Castoriadis – the autonomy of imagination is Castoriadis – the autonomy of imagination is

the precondition of radical creativitythe precondition of radical creativity

Quasi-transcendentals IQuasi-transcendentals I

►““Religion without religion”Religion without religion”►Political concepts as secularised Political concepts as secularised

theological conceptstheological concepts►Against secularisation theory – Charles Against secularisation theory – Charles

Taylor’s “disembedding” – “the greater Taylor’s “disembedding” – “the greater the gods are, the freer humans are” the gods are, the freer humans are” (Gauchet)(Gauchet)

Quasi-transcendentals IIQuasi-transcendentals II

►The ghosts of Jacques DerridaThe ghosts of Jacques Derrida Derrida and the lineages of Derrida and the lineages of

phenomenology; deconstruction as a phenomenology; deconstruction as a “Jewish science”“Jewish science”

►Thought at its limitsThought at its limits The work of the negative – no sublation, no The work of the negative – no sublation, no

synthesis but a forcing of concepts together synthesis but a forcing of concepts together into a into a constellationconstellation

A double movement of veiling and unveiling A double movement of veiling and unveiling – a revelation, an apocalypse– a revelation, an apocalypse

Minor traditionsMinor traditions

► Jewish utopics at the beginning of the short Jewish utopics at the beginning of the short Twentieth CenturyTwentieth Century

► The excarnation of Christian soteriologyThe excarnation of Christian soteriology The fissure between the political and the social – the The fissure between the political and the social – the

“always already there” and the “yet to be realised” – an “always already there” and the “yet to be realised” – an originary oscillationoriginary oscillation

► ““An infinite hope, but not for us” – Kabbalistic An infinite hope, but not for us” – Kabbalistic messianismsmessianisms

► Walter Benjamin and the particular universal – Walter Benjamin and the particular universal – against the Hegelian determinate universalagainst the Hegelian determinate universal

► Zakhor! Zakhor! Benjamin’s Benjamin’s Katechon Katechon – flashes of light – flashes of light dispelling the darkness – diachrony in time and dispelling the darkness – diachrony in time and historyhistory

Introducing intersubjectivityIntroducing intersubjectivity

► Benjamin’s poetics of politics, Derrida as the Benjamin’s poetics of politics, Derrida as the “Last Jew” or as a “Last Jew” or as a MarranoMarrano

► But what of intersubjectivity?But what of intersubjectivity?► Maurice Merleau-Ponty’s political theoryMaurice Merleau-Ponty’s political theory► The necessity of a philosophical anthropologyThe necessity of a philosophical anthropology► Contingency, subjectivity, history – the Contingency, subjectivity, history – the

modern subject as turning away, forgettingmodern subject as turning away, forgetting An escape from MarxismAn escape from Marxism And thus the necessity for the political decisionAnd thus the necessity for the political decision

Recovering the political at the Recovering the political at the end of historyend of history

►Carl Schmitt and Jacques Derrida – a Carl Schmitt and Jacques Derrida – a sociology of the political concept and a sociology of the political concept and a symptomatology of the times (out of joint)symptomatology of the times (out of joint)

►An agonistic political and the An agonistic political and the undecideability of political signifiers; and undecideability of political signifiers; and intersubjectivityintersubjectivity

►Weaving together the threads – Weaving together the threads – temporalising the political through temporalising the political through articulating minor traditions to the empty articulating minor traditions to the empty place of the universalplace of the universal

Contributions of the thesis and Contributions of the thesis and directions for future researchdirections for future research

►The contribution of the methodThe contribution of the method►The contribution of the argument and The contribution of the argument and

the readingsthe readings►Towards applying a phenomenological Towards applying a phenomenological

sociology to the “global political”sociology to the “global political”►Lines of flight…Lines of flight…

Thank you!Thank you!

►DiscussionDiscussion