A new conference with leading thinkers to discuss the continued relevance of the communist idea.
'The long night of the left is coming to a close' wrote Slavoj Žižek and Costas Douzinas in their introduction to The Idea of Communism.
The continuing economic crisis, the shift away from a unipolar world
defined by American hegemony, and the ecological crisis mean that
growing numbers of people are keen to explore an alternative, and to
re-discover the idea of communism. With the advent of the Arab Awakening
millions have sought new ways to overcome corruption and dictatorship.
Responding to Alain Badiou's proposition of the 'communist hypothesis,'
the leading thinkers of the Left convened in London in 2009 to discuss
the perpetual, persistent notion that, in a truly emancipated society,
all things should be owned in common.
Now Slavoj Žižek and Alain Badiou are returning to the discussion—this time in New York.
Organised with Verso Books, eight leading thinkers will be discussing 'Communism, A New Beginning? at Cooper Union on the weekend of October 14th-16th.
Entry will be by ticket only. Tickets will be $20 and will be on sale
via this site on Wednesday, September 28th, beginning noon US Eastern
time. There will be a limited number of tickets available.
PROGRAM
COMMUNISM, A NEW BEGINNING?
COOPER UNION, New York, October 14-16 2011
Organizers: Alain Badiou, Slavoj Zizek
Session 1: Friday, Oct 14, 6:00 pm–9:00 pm
Alain Badiou: Short Introductory Remarks
Frank Ruda: Remembering the Impossible: For a Meta-Critical Anamnesis of Communism
Slavoj Žižek: Freedom in the Clouds
Session 2: Saturday, Oct 15, 10:00 am–1:00 pm
Bruno Bosteels: On the Christian Question
Susan Buck-Morss: Communism and Ethics
Session 3: Saturday, Oct 15, 3:00 pm–6:00 pm
Adrian Johnston: From Scientific Socialism to Socialist Science: Naturdialektik Then and Now
Étienne Balibar: Communism as Commitment, Imagination, and Politics
Session 4: Sunday, Oct 16, 10:00 am–1:00 pm
Emmanuel Terray: Communism: Ways and Means of the Reconstruction
Alain Badiou: Politics and State, Mass Movement and Terror
