I admit, some (or most) might think I am delusionally optimistic, but life is all about being prepared! (...ok, yes that is a weird statement coming from the queen of 'das geht sich alles aus' 'das haben wir noch immer so gemacht' and 'a bissi spontane flexibilität, mehr brauchts ned') But I have always been the glass-is-almost-full-person (more about that in a second) and so I went to IKEA and Baumarkt (yes again) and bought myself a nice, cheap chair for many coming hours of reading and cocktail slurping on my balcony! Because yesterday it was nice and sunny, the weather report mentioned up to 8-10 degrees plus, and at 9 this morning (when i finally exited my beloved bed) I was practically blinded by the sun streaming into my 5 bedroom windows... And thus I am happily prepared for a spring which can only be just around the corner, if even that far, I am sure! Even if my glass - on the short bike tour from Ikea to my home, was once more filled almost to the brink with icy rain and I did at one point almost consider buttoning my spring jacket ...
Furthermore there was a IKEA family invitation for some marketing activity these weeks and as this is about the only family I am a real member of around here, of course I went and collected my free 'Jausenbrett' and participated in the 1000 euro raffle... because I am sure that the guy at the self-service-cashier who collected my ticket and put it into his pant pocket after folding it to matchbox size will not just throw it away...
2/26/2009
On actual, real supervisors
Well, some of you out there might think, well of course, or what is the issue here? a pleasant, very friendly talk with a very interested professor who exchanges general pleasantries and then goes with you through the proposed structure of your thesis, comments on your problems, raises other problems you might encounter or what you will have to do and how and what concepts to maybe read up on for specific issues ... isn't that just the common definition of 'supervisor'?
But for me this still is a totally new experience after having stumbled into paradise ... So my anticipated meeting went very well, we talked about settling in Berlin, in the grad school, the conference preparations and finally came to the new structure of my dissertation I put together this week and she gave encouragement, agreed with much of it, gave additional suggestions for reading, contested one of the critics I will use but we nicely argued it/him (How to use Walter Benn Michaels without agreeing with him on more than the most general level of his argument). Then she (unfortunately) assured me that given my selection of texts I will have to get into gender debates, especially in connection with 'the exotic' and with the literary market... so one more field I have to open up for myself... and as I have so much trouble with collective identities, I will now start looking a bit in the direction of communitarianism... thus really productive and nice chat...
realization1: on the long run we will have serious difficulties with each other, if she should continue to be that nice, because i will need someone to kick me, as we all know, but then again, I think (and have heard) that she is professional and tough, thus the kicking will be provided, I suppose, as the need arises
realization2: In the course of throwing out my papercup and napkin after a chai to go at the Villa I also threw out my printouts for the meeting ... on which I also had made notes during the same meeting.... how dumb can one be??? Well, as we are assured here constantly - we are distinguished by excellence, which in my case is just in a different field apparently ...
But for me this still is a totally new experience after having stumbled into paradise ... So my anticipated meeting went very well, we talked about settling in Berlin, in the grad school, the conference preparations and finally came to the new structure of my dissertation I put together this week and she gave encouragement, agreed with much of it, gave additional suggestions for reading, contested one of the critics I will use but we nicely argued it/him (How to use Walter Benn Michaels without agreeing with him on more than the most general level of his argument). Then she (unfortunately) assured me that given my selection of texts I will have to get into gender debates, especially in connection with 'the exotic' and with the literary market... so one more field I have to open up for myself... and as I have so much trouble with collective identities, I will now start looking a bit in the direction of communitarianism... thus really productive and nice chat...
realization1: on the long run we will have serious difficulties with each other, if she should continue to be that nice, because i will need someone to kick me, as we all know, but then again, I think (and have heard) that she is professional and tough, thus the kicking will be provided, I suppose, as the need arises
realization2: In the course of throwing out my papercup and napkin after a chai to go at the Villa I also threw out my printouts for the meeting ... on which I also had made notes during the same meeting.... how dumb can one be??? Well, as we are assured here constantly - we are distinguished by excellence, which in my case is just in a different field apparently ...
2/23/2009
the beauty of literature
Currently analyzing or taking closer looks at Saleema Nawaz Mother Superior short story collection - which is a recommendation all along! One of the stories - "The Beater" - is one of the very rare examples I know where an attempt at second person singular narrative voice actually works. The story opens with a memory of the paranoid mother who thinks that the husband (who used to beat her and thus she left him and 3 kids) had found her and was following.
“You stumble to keep up, legs trembling. You’re three, and fear is contagious.”
It is sentences like this that reassure me about being in the right field.
“You stumble to keep up, legs trembling. You’re three, and fear is contagious.”
It is sentences like this that reassure me about being in the right field.
this winner takes it all...
And the Oscars go to: Slumdog Millionaire
This really great film won 8 Oscars and although it was nominated for 10 it actually did only not get one of the nominations because THE god of Bollywood music, A. R. Rehman was running as his own competitor as he was twice nominated for best song.
The only thing I would have to complain about - concerning the Hollywood lobby - is that although the overall achievement of this movie was acknowledged in many of the major categories, it is also telling that none of the actors was even nominated - because in that respect Hollywood apparently still needs to protegee their own only. I would need to research that but I would not be surprised is this was the first time that a movie was nominated (and won) every major award without any of the actors even being nominated. How can a movie have such an impact if the acting itself were not also great?
The bollywood media is happy and just as watching this film with Carola on the first day of the year in San Francisco triggered off a really good year, I hope these news on Monday morning will trigger a really good week.
Go watch the movie! (and remember: It is peanut butter and chocolate...)
This really great film won 8 Oscars and although it was nominated for 10 it actually did only not get one of the nominations because THE god of Bollywood music, A. R. Rehman was running as his own competitor as he was twice nominated for best song.
The only thing I would have to complain about - concerning the Hollywood lobby - is that although the overall achievement of this movie was acknowledged in many of the major categories, it is also telling that none of the actors was even nominated - because in that respect Hollywood apparently still needs to protegee their own only. I would need to research that but I would not be surprised is this was the first time that a movie was nominated (and won) every major award without any of the actors even being nominated. How can a movie have such an impact if the acting itself were not also great?
The bollywood media is happy and just as watching this film with Carola on the first day of the year in San Francisco triggered off a really good year, I hope these news on Monday morning will trigger a really good week.
Go watch the movie! (and remember: It is peanut butter and chocolate...)
2/21/2009
tax-weekend it seems
doing backlog of tax-issues - tax report for 2007 (by now I have sorted and glued and filed almost all bills...which in between made for a nice image because I was literally surrounded by bills and papers - sitting on the floor arranging all items by date in a 12 piles circle around me), church tax, letters to social security companies, still to do: finalize 2007 report, do everything on 2008 report - and in the course of doing so also collect all bills on renovation expenses for a healthy shock experience in overspening... cancel memberships at Denzel drive, and fully terminate my 'business' in Austria.
Happy event: found my income tax report of 2006 in the last box of papers to sort and file.... and apparently have some 'guthaben' for 2008 income tax - which will be very much needed too... afraid of upcoming back-tax-request...
if anyone should be expecting mail from me - please be patient a bit longer ... taxes are not good for the head and I really am too totally uncreative to pen even a nice one-liner
Happy event: found my income tax report of 2006 in the last box of papers to sort and file.... and apparently have some 'guthaben' for 2008 income tax - which will be very much needed too... afraid of upcoming back-tax-request...
if anyone should be expecting mail from me - please be patient a bit longer ... taxes are not good for the head and I really am too totally uncreative to pen even a nice one-liner
2/18/2009
the fascination of the lower arm
have you ever observed how finger movements activate your lower arm? I am currently fascinated by that ... in sitting position put your right hand on your left shoulder and the ellbow on the table in front of you so your eyes watch your lower arm. Now start drumming on your shoulder with our fingers - index to small. all of them or individual ones... I think t'is fascinating how the arm flexes and moves ... and yes I am still in the library and still trying to read Judith Butler's reading of Levina's idea of the 'face' and our killing instincts ... so forgive me for getting a little weird ...
2/17/2009
being good girls
Day One of our new productive life: azadeh and I are actually in the library at the FU - the so-called 'brain' due to its shape and already really productive. We are planning on doing that now 3 days a week for 5 hours each at least ...
so far I started into a book I got only this morning: Walter Benn Michaels "the Trouble with Diversity" - not only is he perfect for my argument and very interesting and thought provoking and useful, but the introduction at least was also hilariously funny written - as far as academic texts go. He is witty, ironic and has his thumb right on the problem of society - which is that we love ethnicities and talking about identities because we are so afraid of talking about class and actual social inequality - because that would mean we need to act and redistribute and restructure while on diversity we so nicely managed to agree and just have to accept difference but not redistribute real wealth. His argument, of course, is a lot more complex already in the introduction, but that is the major issue he then discusses on several levels and problems.
Fitting into how I want to use Michaels for my thesis is Butler's arguments on the precariousness of lifes which she outlined in her talk earlier this month and which I am now also reading up on in her 2004 published collection of five post 9/11 essays on the topic.
So I think that I will come up with an argument where I think society and cultural studies should be going / or are already heading at - away from identity towards universal humanism - and then look at my texts again and how or whether they already show a turn in that direction and how such negotiations are presented with a focus on the aesthetic rather than on politics. Which I should form into a 15 page nutshell essay by the end of the week as it is beyond overdue for my contribution to a conference publication in Göttingen....
But my hopes are flying high, as we are already being such good girls and enthusiastic about it .... and then again, blogging is of course also just a form of procrastination...
so far I started into a book I got only this morning: Walter Benn Michaels "the Trouble with Diversity" - not only is he perfect for my argument and very interesting and thought provoking and useful, but the introduction at least was also hilariously funny written - as far as academic texts go. He is witty, ironic and has his thumb right on the problem of society - which is that we love ethnicities and talking about identities because we are so afraid of talking about class and actual social inequality - because that would mean we need to act and redistribute and restructure while on diversity we so nicely managed to agree and just have to accept difference but not redistribute real wealth. His argument, of course, is a lot more complex already in the introduction, but that is the major issue he then discusses on several levels and problems.
Fitting into how I want to use Michaels for my thesis is Butler's arguments on the precariousness of lifes which she outlined in her talk earlier this month and which I am now also reading up on in her 2004 published collection of five post 9/11 essays on the topic.
So I think that I will come up with an argument where I think society and cultural studies should be going / or are already heading at - away from identity towards universal humanism - and then look at my texts again and how or whether they already show a turn in that direction and how such negotiations are presented with a focus on the aesthetic rather than on politics. Which I should form into a 15 page nutshell essay by the end of the week as it is beyond overdue for my contribution to a conference publication in Göttingen....
But my hopes are flying high, as we are already being such good girls and enthusiastic about it .... and then again, blogging is of course also just a form of procrastination...
2/15/2009
watch-ed: Letters to the President
Went to two Berlinale Films - the first was the movie version of Josef Haslinger's novel Vaterspiel by Michael Glawogger. Nicely done, very close to the text - even structurally - but no WOW-surprise there ... and i was fairly tired too.
Yesterday afternoon we went to Delhi cinema (one of the great things about festivals is that you get to got to all those amazing old movie halls) to watch the documentary Letters to the President by a Czech-Canadian filmmaker about the populist president of Iran. It was an interesting movie and rather nicely filmed but although he claimed he did not intend to give anything like a cohesive picture of Iran, the film still somehow looked as if it pretended to do that and ended up giving a very hard binary opposition between poor-religious-uneducated-followers and urban-educated-unreligious-critics. It would have been more honest to stick with the original theme of just portraying the populist politics, how they work and possibly what all does not work due to the populist approach. And the best thing was that we were there with our two Iranian friends and they then provided many very interesting glimpses into Iranian politics and society - a culture I am yet much too unfamiliar with! - over a late lunch in a cafe underneath the stadtbahn which was rather audible ....
Yesterday afternoon we went to Delhi cinema (one of the great things about festivals is that you get to got to all those amazing old movie halls) to watch the documentary Letters to the President by a Czech-Canadian filmmaker about the populist president of Iran. It was an interesting movie and rather nicely filmed but although he claimed he did not intend to give anything like a cohesive picture of Iran, the film still somehow looked as if it pretended to do that and ended up giving a very hard binary opposition between poor-religious-uneducated-followers and urban-educated-unreligious-critics. It would have been more honest to stick with the original theme of just portraying the populist politics, how they work and possibly what all does not work due to the populist approach. And the best thing was that we were there with our two Iranian friends and they then provided many very interesting glimpses into Iranian politics and society - a culture I am yet much too unfamiliar with! - over a late lunch in a cafe underneath the stadtbahn which was rather audible ....
2/12/2009
a bad talk, good networking and arrogance in the early morning
Last night Bharati Mukherjee gave the WEB du Bois lecture at Humboldt university - I admit I used to have my reservations against her and really do not care for her early work very much or for her stance against Canada which she often publicly voices in a very angry and reductive way - falling into the same trap she sometimes accuses other (or Canada) to do in so far as she does not differentiate between the situation in the early 80s and today's society and political landscape. However, in SF in December she was honored at the SALA conference and gave a short acceptance speech which was not only taking complex cultural developments into account due to globalization but also showed some development towards these in her latest books. Thus, admittedly I expected a nice critical talk especially as her topic was "Towards a Post-Racial Society: An American Experiment". While the invitation by Mita Banerjee was quite nice (a lot better than both introductions to Judith Butler) the presentation by Mukherjee was pure disappointment - an anecdotal something about American society from her very personal experience that was banal at best and less informative than media reports at most times. It seemed as if the thing was quickly put together during the 12 hour flight from SF but still was an embarrassing presentation by someone who is also professor at Berkeley - even if she may have been asked to present a positive image to please the sponsoring embassy...
But the evening was not a total waste, as the sponsoring embassy was present with three members and that gave a nice opportunity for networking and asking for support for our upcoming conference ...
And this morning actually great news - however these kinds of news by now tend to only elicit a heartfelt 'oh shit' from me.... because I had in September applied (with a late entry) for the GNEL conference this year and had now been put into the second call and been accepted. Which is GREAT and I really want to go to that conference and need to get more conference participations and publications on this year's schedule still - lacking behind already - but at the same time I am already postponing and rescheduling so many tasks this early spring because I just don't sit down to do them, that yet another one - no matter how great - right now only means panic....
But the evening was not a total waste, as the sponsoring embassy was present with three members and that gave a nice opportunity for networking and asking for support for our upcoming conference ...
And this morning actually great news - however these kinds of news by now tend to only elicit a heartfelt 'oh shit' from me.... because I had in September applied (with a late entry) for the GNEL conference this year and had now been put into the second call and been accepted. Which is GREAT and I really want to go to that conference and need to get more conference participations and publications on this year's schedule still - lacking behind already - but at the same time I am already postponing and rescheduling so many tasks this early spring because I just don't sit down to do them, that yet another one - no matter how great - right now only means panic....
2/10/2009
gechatte über klassenkolleginnen
rist: polnischer ursprung is mir wurst
ed: jaja wurstreise und so, schon klar!
rist: hab heut im FM ein weckerl mit polnischer gegessen, das war fein
ed: jaja
rist: die erste anspielung war unbewurst
rist: unbewusst
rist: freud hat sich ja vor allem mit dem unterderbewursten beschäftigt - also semmerln
ed: und dem über-ich - also essichgurkerl
rist: wir sind super
ed: ja natürlich!
ed: jaja wurstreise und so, schon klar!
rist: hab heut im FM ein weckerl mit polnischer gegessen, das war fein
ed: jaja
rist: die erste anspielung war unbewurst
rist: unbewusst
rist: freud hat sich ja vor allem mit dem unterderbewursten beschäftigt - also semmerln
ed: und dem über-ich - also essichgurkerl
rist: wir sind super
ed: ja natürlich!
is non-sexist language possible?
This is the last week of the first term and while many of us eagerly look forward to and drown in organizational matters concerning long stays in the US in the coming weeks it is also already a sad time of good-byes. today especially as it was the last of Luita's great classes on academic writing.
In one of those sessions some weeks back we discussed strategies to avoid gendered language in academic writing, which is far more complicated and difficult than just the issue of the generic 'he'. The (as always) great handout on the matter is the longest we got by being 3 pages of densly written text with the (typical for Luita) witty subtitle "Why and how not to insult people".
Among other issues we also problematized the option of replacing the generic he with a similarly generic 'she'. This has to be dismissed on several grounds: not only is it based on the same amount of sexism as the generic 'he' - even though it promotes the historically constructed underdog, but - especially if in an attempt to achieve some balance within a text by switching between the pronouns which may also lead to confusion for the reader - studies show that if switching is employed most texts manifest sexism again on the level of using the pronouns in connection with stereotypically more male or female actions. Meaning that even if it is done in an attempt of equality and balance, actions associated with feelings tend to get more female pronouns and action is usually male connotated.
In this context, I can now not help but wonder, whether the use of a female reader persona in an academic text dealing with aesthetic reception of Gone With The Wind is not rather an act of sexism on the part of the (male) author of the text?
In one of those sessions some weeks back we discussed strategies to avoid gendered language in academic writing, which is far more complicated and difficult than just the issue of the generic 'he'. The (as always) great handout on the matter is the longest we got by being 3 pages of densly written text with the (typical for Luita) witty subtitle "Why and how not to insult people".
Among other issues we also problematized the option of replacing the generic he with a similarly generic 'she'. This has to be dismissed on several grounds: not only is it based on the same amount of sexism as the generic 'he' - even though it promotes the historically constructed underdog, but - especially if in an attempt to achieve some balance within a text by switching between the pronouns which may also lead to confusion for the reader - studies show that if switching is employed most texts manifest sexism again on the level of using the pronouns in connection with stereotypically more male or female actions. Meaning that even if it is done in an attempt of equality and balance, actions associated with feelings tend to get more female pronouns and action is usually male connotated.
In this context, I can now not help but wonder, whether the use of a female reader persona in an academic text dealing with aesthetic reception of Gone With The Wind is not rather an act of sexism on the part of the (male) author of the text?
2/09/2009
really not my thing.... exaggeration
Those who know me, ever met me, or at any point in time happened to have been to dinner at our place know probably what I am talking about... because I really do so not have an idea what people mean when they say I tend to exaggerate... because, let's be honest - when we talk food, there really is no such thing, right?
And so there is a lot of great humus, even more wonderful because home-made zaalouk, I did actually refrain from making guacamole, so there is just 4 avocados softening in the fridge, bread for an army regiment or two but I do have a freezer - and I did make 3 soups (several times thinking of including sweet potato soup as well, but really did not because I only have 3 spots on the stove) not to talk about olives oh and 3/4 of a blueberry-cheesecake (that could have been baked a bit more) and an orange-spice-cake...
So what I am trying to say is that I just spent a wonderful relaxing nice evening on my floors, eating soup, chatting, drinking wine, having sweets and sending people home at 11 pm to be on time at tomorrow's conference meeting at 10... *stöhn*
while I start a bit of dish-washing and have a lot of left overs and cheesecake and more drinks with it...
I do like my class a lot actually
And - according to bene - I used a really cheesy-cheap pick-up line on him ... because he started on npr and its great programs which elicited a groan from me, uttering 'great, another man in my life who loves the prairie home companion' :)
And so there is a lot of great humus, even more wonderful because home-made zaalouk, I did actually refrain from making guacamole, so there is just 4 avocados softening in the fridge, bread for an army regiment or two but I do have a freezer - and I did make 3 soups (several times thinking of including sweet potato soup as well, but really did not because I only have 3 spots on the stove) not to talk about olives oh and 3/4 of a blueberry-cheesecake (that could have been baked a bit more) and an orange-spice-cake...
So what I am trying to say is that I just spent a wonderful relaxing nice evening on my floors, eating soup, chatting, drinking wine, having sweets and sending people home at 11 pm to be on time at tomorrow's conference meeting at 10... *stöhn*
while I start a bit of dish-washing and have a lot of left overs and cheesecake and more drinks with it...
I do like my class a lot actually
And - according to bene - I used a really cheesy-cheap pick-up line on him ... because he started on npr and its great programs which elicited a groan from me, uttering 'great, another man in my life who loves the prairie home companion' :)
2/04/2009
lucky bastard
I am going to dartmouth in June. More thrilling academic interaction - more American Studies I have no idea of - more urgent reading that ought to be done and one more talk to prepare and give and this time it better be good .... but as I go there as a member of the Grad school, I suppose they will definitely make sure I don't embarrass them, so for about the first time ever I might have to have a full paper prepared before boarding the plane ... oh and nice PhD comic today.
precarious life
just back from a talk given by Judith Butler at the FU ... an unbelievable experience on many levels and most stimulating on the academic one.
First the location was changed to the Henry Ford Building (the audi max) due to the incredible amount of people registering for the event. This building, while apparently the 1950s founding building of the university looks like one of its newest, it really is a piece of timeless and quite stunning and beautiful architecture. The lecture was opened by one of the vice-presidents of the university, a scholar I have known for years and I really admire and like a lot, but today she, quite frankly, blew it. Although she nicely welcomed the guest of honor and speaker, she then started to ramble on for about 15 minutes and not much of it was about Butler and what she said about her was rather embarrassing and banal in trying to summarize Butler's work in a few sentences and then she sounded like a PR brochure for the university, it's excellency (as acknowledged by the German administration) and the Dahlem Humanities Center. Then the rector of that center (or something like that) came up, acknowledging that the audience was here for Butler and thus he would keep it short - always be aware of the guy who introduces his introduction with promises of brevity ... because he after starting as PR continued to talk about Butler and we thought all is fine as he gave a nice short bio-sketch.... but then went on and on, basically telling her and us what her research was to interrupt his own narrative with stupidity and all that for about 30 minutes (and I mean real stupidity) to come to the point that only yesterday she had been in London and how bad the weather there was at the moment - which at least led to my Prof. remarking at my side 'oh good, he's at the weather report, which is usually at the end of a program, isn't it?' ... it wasn't ... not quite anyway because he still had to allude to the dangerous waves she had to overcome or rather cross beneath (referring to the Ärmelkanal) to come here - and from there made the link to announce the paper's title "Frames of War".
The great thing about it all - before I come to the content which was really interesting - was the atmosphere. First the whole lobby was filled to the brink and once they opened the doors to the Audi max at 6 it felt like a rock concert or huge football match as a wave and murmur rushed through these academic masses and at the same time it seemed as if the room opened had huge suction powers ... once we were seated - and it took about 5 minutes to have to room filled and then 55 minutes to fight off 'late-comers' (the talk only started at 7) and send them to the 4 adjoining huge lecture halls where a video-conference setup would transmit the event. This audi max was also the room where in 1968 students protested and demonstrated against the attack on Rudi Dutschke, leading to wide protests and later that year another huge student protest against the Prager Frühling was initiated here. So it was historic ground we were treading and it was also very present in the atmosphere, as the academically well informed audience (who was here for Butler and those being there before 6 - which were the only ones making it into the large room - were real fans and knew her work) were most annoyed (to put it mildly) by the introductions and PR statements given before so there was mild riot, buh-ing, whistling, laughter and shouting ... unfortunately to no avail, as both speakers did not budge from the podium although our discontent was well articulated...
Finally, Butler took the floor and gave a marvelous speech. I did not have much sleep last night and a long day - including some coffee but not much - but did not even feel tired during the more than one hour. She did not present totally new ideas as such and I am glad that we had discussed her approach in class before, so the basis of her argument or the approach was not unfamiliar - but the structure of the paper was great - not really surprising as she is a Prof. of Rhetoric in Berkeley. She started out with a discussion of the precariousness of life, distinguished between apprehension and recognition, came to her post-structuralist informed argument of resistance but then used all that to apply it to the question of humanity in general and the current political violent unrest in Gaza in particular. Emphasizing how to be able to apprehend life (which is not even meaning to recognize it) means to acknowledge the precariousness of life which is the root to distinguish what life is (here we briefly came to the discussion of normativity) and as this distinction between life and non-life and even death works along norms of society, life, too, needs to be recognized as such, thus needs the 'other', and thus can not be thought without grief, because to think what life is also means to conceptualize what it's loss is. conflicts not only result in the loss of life but usually are ideology bound and thus some lives are defined as more precarious than others - as more valuable and thus more valid to grief. If the loss of a life cannot or should not be grieved it thus is a non-life and thus the root of all conflict arises, as we are unable / unwilling to recognize this life and apprehend its precariousness. Butler, of course, had a lot more arguments along the line, very thought provoking insights a great presentation to go with it and a really stunning trail of thought, none of which I am able to do justice to.
First the location was changed to the Henry Ford Building (the audi max) due to the incredible amount of people registering for the event. This building, while apparently the 1950s founding building of the university looks like one of its newest, it really is a piece of timeless and quite stunning and beautiful architecture. The lecture was opened by one of the vice-presidents of the university, a scholar I have known for years and I really admire and like a lot, but today she, quite frankly, blew it. Although she nicely welcomed the guest of honor and speaker, she then started to ramble on for about 15 minutes and not much of it was about Butler and what she said about her was rather embarrassing and banal in trying to summarize Butler's work in a few sentences and then she sounded like a PR brochure for the university, it's excellency (as acknowledged by the German administration) and the Dahlem Humanities Center. Then the rector of that center (or something like that) came up, acknowledging that the audience was here for Butler and thus he would keep it short - always be aware of the guy who introduces his introduction with promises of brevity ... because he after starting as PR continued to talk about Butler and we thought all is fine as he gave a nice short bio-sketch.... but then went on and on, basically telling her and us what her research was to interrupt his own narrative with stupidity and all that for about 30 minutes (and I mean real stupidity) to come to the point that only yesterday she had been in London and how bad the weather there was at the moment - which at least led to my Prof. remarking at my side 'oh good, he's at the weather report, which is usually at the end of a program, isn't it?' ... it wasn't ... not quite anyway because he still had to allude to the dangerous waves she had to overcome or rather cross beneath (referring to the Ärmelkanal) to come here - and from there made the link to announce the paper's title "Frames of War".
The great thing about it all - before I come to the content which was really interesting - was the atmosphere. First the whole lobby was filled to the brink and once they opened the doors to the Audi max at 6 it felt like a rock concert or huge football match as a wave and murmur rushed through these academic masses and at the same time it seemed as if the room opened had huge suction powers ... once we were seated - and it took about 5 minutes to have to room filled and then 55 minutes to fight off 'late-comers' (the talk only started at 7) and send them to the 4 adjoining huge lecture halls where a video-conference setup would transmit the event. This audi max was also the room where in 1968 students protested and demonstrated against the attack on Rudi Dutschke, leading to wide protests and later that year another huge student protest against the Prager Frühling was initiated here. So it was historic ground we were treading and it was also very present in the atmosphere, as the academically well informed audience (who was here for Butler and those being there before 6 - which were the only ones making it into the large room - were real fans and knew her work) were most annoyed (to put it mildly) by the introductions and PR statements given before so there was mild riot, buh-ing, whistling, laughter and shouting ... unfortunately to no avail, as both speakers did not budge from the podium although our discontent was well articulated...
Finally, Butler took the floor and gave a marvelous speech. I did not have much sleep last night and a long day - including some coffee but not much - but did not even feel tired during the more than one hour. She did not present totally new ideas as such and I am glad that we had discussed her approach in class before, so the basis of her argument or the approach was not unfamiliar - but the structure of the paper was great - not really surprising as she is a Prof. of Rhetoric in Berkeley. She started out with a discussion of the precariousness of life, distinguished between apprehension and recognition, came to her post-structuralist informed argument of resistance but then used all that to apply it to the question of humanity in general and the current political violent unrest in Gaza in particular. Emphasizing how to be able to apprehend life (which is not even meaning to recognize it) means to acknowledge the precariousness of life which is the root to distinguish what life is (here we briefly came to the discussion of normativity) and as this distinction between life and non-life and even death works along norms of society, life, too, needs to be recognized as such, thus needs the 'other', and thus can not be thought without grief, because to think what life is also means to conceptualize what it's loss is. conflicts not only result in the loss of life but usually are ideology bound and thus some lives are defined as more precarious than others - as more valuable and thus more valid to grief. If the loss of a life cannot or should not be grieved it thus is a non-life and thus the root of all conflict arises, as we are unable / unwilling to recognize this life and apprehend its precariousness. Butler, of course, had a lot more arguments along the line, very thought provoking insights a great presentation to go with it and a really stunning trail of thought, none of which I am able to do justice to.
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