Centre for Citizenship and Public Policy, University of Western Sydney presents:
Master-class on Jean-Luc Nancy: Community and Being Singular Plural
Led by: Peter Banki (School of Humanities and Languages, UWS)
17 November 2011; Bankstown, 3.G.54, 2-5pm
Class Description
In this seminar we will explore Jean-Luc Nancy’s elaboration of the “inoperative community” (Communauté désœuvrée) in relation to his reading of Georges Bataille, Maurice Blanchot and Jacques Derrida. Through a close reading of certain key passages in The Inoperative Community, we will attempt to examine what the political and philosophical stakes are in such an elaboration. I will also attempt to situate the book The Inoperative Community in relation to Nancy’s work before and after, in particular, The Literary Absolute (written with Philippe Lacoue-Labarthe) and Being Singular Plural, which is a work based a radicalization of the Heideggerian concept of Mitsein. There will be space to consider how Nancy’s thinking may help us to read and think political tasks of the past and present.
Required Readings*
(1.) Nancy, Jean-Luc: “The Inoperative Community,” Jean-Luc Nancy, The Inoperative Community, Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1991, pp.1-42;
(2.) Blanchot, Maurice: “The Negative Community,” Maurice Blanchot, The
Unavowable Community, Barrytown: Station Hill, 1988, pp.1-26;
(3.) Derrida, Jacques: “When Our Eyes Touch…” Jacques Derrida, On Touching—Jean-Luc Nancy, Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2005, pp.1-10;
(4.) Nancy, Jean-Luc: “Of Being Singular Plural,” Jean-Luc Nancy, Being Singular Plural, Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2000, pp.1-100.
Secondary Readings
(1.) Nancy, Jean-Luc: “On Communism,” Critical Legal Thinking, July 2009, http://www.criticallegalth
(2.) James, Ian: “Community,” Ian James, The fragmentary demand: an introduction to the philosophy of Jean-Luc Nancy, Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2006, pp. 152-202.
Bio
In September 2009, Peter Banki defended his Ph.D in the Department of Germanic Languages and Literatures at New York University under the supervision of Avital Ronell. In the course of his education, he has worked under the guidance of some of the major figures of contemporary theory within the European tradition, including Jean-Luc Nancy, Werner Hamacher and Avital Ronell. He currently publishes articles in refereed journals both in French and English on the work of figures such as Maurice Blanchot, Jacques Derrida, Martin Heidegger and Jean-François Lyotard, and has been the recipient of fellowships from the DAAD, the Leo Beack Intitute in New York and the Free University in Berlin. More information about his published and unpublished writings can be found at www.peterbanki.com
* Electronic copy of all the readings is available; please contact Magdalena Zolkos at m.zolkos at uws.edu.au
Master-class on Jean-Luc Nancy: Community and Being Singular Plural
Led by: Peter Banki (School of Humanities and Languages, UWS)
17 November 2011; Bankstown, 3.G.54, 2-5pm
Class Description
In this seminar we will explore Jean-Luc Nancy’s elaboration of the “inoperative community” (Communauté désœuvrée) in relation to his reading of Georges Bataille, Maurice Blanchot and Jacques Derrida. Through a close reading of certain key passages in The Inoperative Community, we will attempt to examine what the political and philosophical stakes are in such an elaboration. I will also attempt to situate the book The Inoperative Community in relation to Nancy’s work before and after, in particular, The Literary Absolute (written with Philippe Lacoue-Labarthe) and Being Singular Plural, which is a work based a radicalization of the Heideggerian concept of Mitsein. There will be space to consider how Nancy’s thinking may help us to read and think political tasks of the past and present.
Required Readings*
(1.) Nancy, Jean-Luc: “The Inoperative Community,” Jean-Luc Nancy, The Inoperative Community, Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1991, pp.1-42;
(2.) Blanchot, Maurice: “The Negative Community,” Maurice Blanchot, The
Unavowable Community, Barrytown: Station Hill, 1988, pp.1-26;
(3.) Derrida, Jacques: “When Our Eyes Touch…” Jacques Derrida, On Touching—Jean-Luc Nancy, Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2005, pp.1-10;
(4.) Nancy, Jean-Luc: “Of Being Singular Plural,” Jean-Luc Nancy, Being Singular Plural, Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2000, pp.1-100.
Secondary Readings
(1.) Nancy, Jean-Luc: “On Communism,” Critical Legal Thinking, July 2009, http://www.criticallegalth
(2.) James, Ian: “Community,” Ian James, The fragmentary demand: an introduction to the philosophy of Jean-Luc Nancy, Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2006, pp. 152-202.
Bio
In September 2009, Peter Banki defended his Ph.D in the Department of Germanic Languages and Literatures at New York University under the supervision of Avital Ronell. In the course of his education, he has worked under the guidance of some of the major figures of contemporary theory within the European tradition, including Jean-Luc Nancy, Werner Hamacher and Avital Ronell. He currently publishes articles in refereed journals both in French and English on the work of figures such as Maurice Blanchot, Jacques Derrida, Martin Heidegger and Jean-François Lyotard, and has been the recipient of fellowships from the DAAD, the Leo Beack Intitute in New York and the Free University in Berlin. More information about his published and unpublished writings can be found at www.peterbanki.com
* Electronic copy of all the readings is available; please contact Magdalena Zolkos at m.zolkos at uws.edu.au
