Since returning from Toronto, I have done little work. Toronto does that to me. I’ve read quite a bit, but nothing sustained. Some Montesquieu here, some Clastres there, and a little of Karatani’s excellent book, Transcritique (extensive review of it by Steven Shaviro here and here). But, like I said, nothing sustained.
I should be wrapping up a short section on how Carl Schmitt and Max Weber theorize the political and its location relative to the social. There’s about three pages left to write; less if I’m economical. Then I should write an equally short section on Marshall Sahlins and Pierre Clastres’ on primitive societies. Although both could easily completed in an afternoon, I haven’t done so.
Perhaps the problem is that I’m not sure how to write the much longer and more complex section that looks at how Giorgio Agamben and Claude Lefort use Ernst Kantorowicz’s The King’s Two Bodies. The problem with this section is its complexity: neither Agamben nor Lefort are particularly faithful to Kantorowicz to the extent that it is often hard to tell that they’ve read the same book as each other and myself! A further problem is that Agamben cites the book too much while Lefort cites the book too little. While ‘the king’s two bodies’ is central to Lefort’s theory of democracy (in its absence, that is), the book only appears in brief and confusing moments. Agamben, on the other hand, appears to cite him on every second page.
There are other problems, of course: (1) I need to complete the final version of the reading list for the second comprehensive; (2) I need to write a paper on Spinoza and democracy to be presented in May; (3) I need to commit to a dissertation topic. The first and last are comparably easy. Comparably. Because I don’t want to be doing this comprehensive forever, I’m cutting back on some of the books and inserting more focused and shorter books. "Classics", as it were, will remain — in part because I’ve read them before. And the dissertation topic is comparably easy: I have many ideas, I just need to pick one. I’m tempted (but not committed!) to writing on anti-representational theories of politics prior to the French Revolution (Montesquieu, Rousseau, etc). Regardless of the topic, I’ll likely start writing a series of brief notes on Montesquieu’s The Spirit of the Laws.
Emerging from the section on Weber and Schmitt (and the Long Sunday symposium on Benjamin) is a desire to write a short paper on the three. The point of the paper will become more apparent when I post the section on Weber and Schmitt once I finish it.
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Craig, let me know the next time you’re coming to Toronto (that is if you have any interest in meeting). I’ll be coming to Ottaw in late March early April. And are you aware of the conference in April in Hamilton that will be Keynoted by Negri?
Ottawa, of course. Still very much a lame American who can’t spell the name of Canada’s capital.
I’m aware of the conference and submitted an abstract, but have yet to hear back. To an extent I hope I don’t hear back, because that way I won’t have to write another marginally coherent paper. (Although most of the work is done — it likely wouldn’t go over well anyway.) I’ll be in and out of Toronto at least four more times before the end of the spring (semester, that is) as I have four silly ‘workshop’ requirements for my degree that must be completed this semester. Just need to pick the four that will be the lest punishing. I’ll let you know when I’m down next. I usually make in to Bloor West to meet with my supervisor for an hour or two. And do let me know when you’ll be in Ottawa.
Will you be dragging yourself out to York for the humanities/social sciences congress? I’ve organized a session under the auspices of the sociology and anthropology association. Jon from posthegemony will be giving a paper to it.
am so new to the town and so spotty in my academic engagement right now that i hadn’t been aware of the York humanities/social science congress. more details if possible. I may be able to make it. I submitted a proposal as well for the Negri conference that may very well not fly (especially as I didn’t hear about the conference or submit the proposal until a few days too late. Hopefully we’ll be able to meet sometime this semester.
The “Canadian Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences” organizes an annual Congress on behalf of its member organizations (essentially all of the professional academic associations and societies in the humanities and social sciences) that is held during the last week of May and the first week of June. It is also commonly referred to as “The Learneds” (as a reference to (1) being pretentious by going and (2) its previous name was something like the “Congress of the Learned Societies” or some-such). This year it is being held at York. Last year it was in London and it will be held next year in Saskatoon and year after that in Vancouver.
My abstract was more on Negri than on the identified themes of the conference. But then, the identified themes rarely mean anything. Has to do with the problem of democracy and representation in his thought.
Do the Montesquieu!!
I will. I just need to clear a section on Agamben, Lefort and Kantorowicz out of the way first (i.e., complete paragraph three in the original post).
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