Monday, January 3, 2011

A Post of Links

During the holidays I thought up a lot of posts I wanted to make, but never got around to writing. Hopefully I can get them written and up, though some of their timeliness has been effected. I was also pretty terrible at keeping up with what other people have been writing, and with emails. So, if I owe you an email, remind me. Also, if I missed something interesting, let me know.

I am pleased to see Nathan of Prologus producing posts again, and I would like to draw attention to his essay "Recognition Theory and the Question of the Animal". Not only is it interesting, but he is also looking toward submitting it to a journal very shortly, and would enjoy some feedback on it. Why do you practice some of that intellectual generosity that Harman and Elden have been talking about, and go read and comment on that essay.

The deadline for submitting abstracts to the Revolution of Time and the Time of Revolution conference is drawing near. So, get on it. (Expect more of these sorts of posts).

Jonathan Safran Foer recently spoke at Google. It is an interesting video, particularly the question and answer section. Hopefully I will be writing more on what he has to say, later.

Jodi Dean has a new article in Krisis entitled Drive as the Structure of Biopolitics. Here is what she says the article is about:
I argue that biopolitics is best understood not as a mode of governance that takes life as its object but rather as the unintended byproduct of the clash between sovereign power and capitalist economics. Biopolitics is an effect of the capture of popular sovereignty in a kind of loop around the absence of political sovereignty in the economy. To make this argument, I draw from Foucault’s discussion of liberalism and neoliberalism and Lacan’s account of drive.
And if that sounds interesting to you (and it should), let me say the whole article is worth reading.

Speaking of capitalist economics, this Slate article on the etymology and economic history of the word austerity is entirely appropriate.

I am sure you all know already, but The Speculative Turn has finally been released. Details and free pdf download can be found here.

The Carolina Chocolate Drops was one of my favorite discoveries of 2010. Check out their amazing cover of "Hit 'em Up Style". And then maybe go get their whole album.