Tzvetan Todorov : die semiotischen und poetologischen Arbeiten ; eine Arbeitsbibliographie

Tzvetan Todorov: Die semiotischen und poetologischen Arbeiten. Eine arbeitsbibliographie. Zusammengestellt von Hans J. Wulff. Für zahlreiche Hinweise danke ich Ludger Kaczmarek

Act or Revolution? Yes, Please!

In the context of the current crisis of global capitalism, it is crucial to determine what is the state of Marxism. Certainly, it is true that in recent decades Marxism has suffered a notable series of attacks, but in no way may we conclude that for this reason Marxism no longer constitutes a legitimate political and intellectual option. As Perry Anderson fittingly pointed out, “to be defeated and to be bowed are not the same” (Anderson 2005: XVII). In permanent crisis and despite all adversities—Marxism persists. Thus, adopting the standpoint of an “intransigent realism” (Anderson 2000: 10) which makes possible “refusing any accommodation with the ruling system, and rejecting every piety and euphemism that would understate its power” (idem), it is valid to question if Marxism has theoretically and practically recovered from a crisis that was supposedly fatal. In fact, has Marxism been able to respond to the challenges posed by Post-Structuralism and 2 Postmodernist discourse? Has it repelled the attacks that were inherent in the postulates of the so-called Post-Marxism? As a part of a larger effort to answer these questions, this paper deals with the work of Slavoj Žižek. What distinguishes the Slovenian philosopher from other contemporary thinkers that try to normatively undertake a defense of Marxism is that he is not precisely a Marxist. Essentially, Žižek is part of the Lacanian left (Stravrakakis 2007). But at the same time he is a very distinctive Hegelian that belongs to the field of Materialist Theory of Subjectivity (Johnston 2008). Nevertheless, in recent years Žižek has showed increasing fidelity to the Idea of communism and the radical emancipatory politics. Within this context, he has strayed from his previous interests in the development of ideology critique and has carried out a noteworthy number of original contributions to both the vicissitudes of Marxist theory and the political practice that the times in which we live require.Fil: Roggerone, Santiago Martín. Universidad de Buenos Aires; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentin

Nationalisme et violence symbolique

Depto. de Antropología Social y Psicología SocialFac. de Ciencias Políticas y SociologíaTRUEpu

D’un arbitraire à l’autre. Réflexion sur la pertinence du concept de violence symbolique en sociologie de l’éducation

Cet article interroge la valeur heuristique et la pertinence du concept de « violence symbolique » en sociologie de l’éducation. Dans une première section, les auteurs discutent le concept en le restituant dans la théorie bourdieusienne de la domination symbolique. Ils examinent ensuite deux modalités par lesquelles l’institution scolaire produit de la violence symbolique. En premier lieu, la conviction que les résultats scolaires dépendent de l’intelligence et du mérite individuel a pour conséquence que l’inégalité des chances reste relativement épargnée par les critiques des élèves. En second lieu, et de manière plus décisive encore, la naturalisation du processus de conversion des performances scolaires en privilèges sociaux tend à soustraire la question de l’inégalité (des places) du débat démocratique

Memories of inauthenticity: Stiegler and the lost spirit of capitalism

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Du (dé)bris symbolique

On a l’habitude, lorsqu’on s’attarde au symbole, de faire porter l’attention sur le « rejointement » des deux moitiés de l’objet brisé (tablette, anneau ou cube) auquel renvoie étymologiquement le sumbolon. On occulte, du coup, l’instant dia-bolique de la déchirure ou de la brisure, qui semble ne conditionner l’acte de suture symbolique que pour en signer simultanément la ruine, que matérialise ce qui tombe hors de son règne sous la forme d’un reste ou d’un débris opaque résistant à la signification, analogue au caput mortuum des alchimistes. Il s’agira donc de s’interroger sur l’incongru foisonnement des vestiges qui affluent sur la scène de la littérature contemporaine et se distribuent autour de la fêlure du symbole. J’analyserai, en me basant essentiellement sur l’oeuvre de Pascal Quignard, la nature et la fonction de ce qui fourmille ainsi sur les bords du symbole sous des noms divers : « skybala », « sordidissimes », « miroboles » ou « significe » qui tous sont à mettre au compte de cet « impossible-à-sauver » dont parle Benjamin et commandent, à ce titre, d’explorer le lien entre ce qu’on peut qualifier de « souffrance du symbole » et la pensée sacrificielle.When it comes to the symbol, we usually focus on the bridging of the two halves of the broken object (tablet, ring or cube) to which the sumbolon is etymologically bound. Yet, by doing so, we occult the dia-bolical breaking moment, which seemingly conditions the symbolic juncture only to simultaneously sign its ruins, materialized in that which falls out from its reign, in the form of opaque “insignificant” remains, similar to the alchimists’ caput mortuum. The purpose of this article is to question this incongruous abundance of vestiges that flow on the contemporary literary scene, distributing themselves around the breach of the symbol. Based on the work of Pascal Quignard, I will analyse the nature and function of what grows on the symbol’s borders, under such names as “skybala”, “sordidissimes”, “miroboles”, “significe”… All of these should be attributed to what Benjamin calls “the impossible to save” which commands an exploration of the link between what is to be understood as “the suffering of the symbol” and sacrificial thought

Eschatological Realism: A Christian View on Culture, Religion and Violence

It was already Hannah Arendt, who, referring to Kant, emphasized the difference betweentruth and meaning, between practical common sense and opinions. It is interesting that the common sense approach is still completely dominant today, even among theologians, who are so often accused of irrationality – or perhaps just because of it. Theology seems to feel compelled to appeal to common sense, to show the modern world, that it is useful, or at least that it is not harmful. Our discussion in this essay concerns the relationship between religion and violence. We will try and explore the problem on the fundamental level, with no pretensions to offer yet another proposal in the style of 'how to ...', that modern requirements for practicality require and expect