List of Texts for 2021-22

Texts for 2021–22

We have decided to read next academic year: 

 

1. Hannah Arendt, Lectures on Kant's Political Philosophy, ed. Ronald Beiner (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1982)

2.  Michel Henry, Barbarism, trans. Scott Davidson (London: Continuum, 2004; French original 1987)

3. Jean-Luc Nancy, The Muses, trans. Peggy Kamuf (Stanford: Stanford UP, 1996; French original 1994).

First meeting of the next Semester will be (by zoom) on 6 October at 5pm, when we will begin with Arendt's book, which has been interpreted as the 'missing' final part on "Judging" of our reading last year, her The Life of the Mind: Thinking and Willing.

 Semester 2 Schedule of Meetings

3 Feb

17 Feb

3 March

17 March

14 April

28 April

12 May

26 May

2 June

16 June

   First Meeting of Semester 2

We will meet again on 3 February 2021 at 5pm.

For zoom link, write to alex.samely@manchester.ac.uk.

We will start the second part of Hannah Arendt's Life of the Mind: "Willing", up to page 39 (i.e., the end of section 5). 

Reading Arendt's The Life of the Mind 2020-2021 

All meetings will take place on Wednesdays, at 5pm (to 6.30) via zoom. Please contact Alex Samely (alex.samely@manchester.ac.uk) for a zoom invite. 

The first meeting, on Wed 30 September 5pm, will discuss sections 1–5 of part I, pp. 3–40 (in the print San Diego, Harvest/Harcourt, 1978).  

Schedule of all Sem 1 meetings: 

30 Sept 

14 Oct

28 Oct

11 Nov

25 Nov

9 Dec

New Reading for Academic Year 2020–2021

At our last meeting we concluded our discussion of Nancy, The Ground of the Image. 
We also decided that we would read in the next academic year: 

Hannah Arendt, The Life of the Mind (San Diego: Harcourt, 1978)

This edition includes both volumes: Thinking and Willing. 

The third topic she was planning to treat, but did not get round to treating before her death, was Judging. Some of what she was going to say about that is thought to have been connected to the work later published as her Lectures on Kant's Political Philosophy, ed. Ronald Beiner (Brighton: Harvester, 1982). Whether we should plan our reading in such a way that there is time to look at this work also is something we need to discuss at the beginning of the year.

We are likely to resume our meetings in late September.

It is unclear whether we will meet by zoom or face to face. If you wish to join us, please do not hesitate to get in touch with me at alex.samely@manchester.ac.uk to receive further information. 

If anybody has problems getting hold of the text of The Life of the Mind let me know. 

Hope you see you next year!

 

The Phenomenology Reading Group at the University of Manchester

 

Upcoming Wednesday zoom meetings 5pm to 6.30:

20 May
3 June -  Chapter 6 = "Masked Imagination"
17 June- to discuss Chapters 7 and 8: Nous Autres and Visitation: Of Christian Painting
1st July


Further info on how to get hold of the text and the zoom invitations below.
Some links to background on Chapters 7 and 8:

The (long) poem Bread and Wine that Nancy is quoting two lines from in Chapter 8 may be found here in a bilingual version (see section 8): 
https://sites.google.com/site/germanliterature/19th-century/hoelderlin/brot-und-wein-bread-and-wine

one (of many!) reports on and digital photos of the painting by Pontormo: https://www.arttrav.com/florence/pontormo-visitation/ 

including an enlargement of the two figures at the side.
(a clearer image is at : https://www.apollo-magazine.com/pontormo-visitation-getty-center/
- the colours appears to unrealistic in most of the digital reproductions)


Here is a work by Bill Viola called Visitation, which I think may post-date Nancy's book: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Td45JUUuSas


here Viola's "The Greeting" to which Nancy refers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dg0IyGUVXaQ


and here a comparison of that video with the Pontormo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9HvypNnEq1g

Upcoming Wednesday zoom meetings 5pm to 6.30:

20 May
3 June - will discuss Chapter 6 = "Masked Imagination"
17 June
1st July

Our 20 May meeting discussed "Distinct Oscillation" = Chapter 5 of Nancy, The Ground of the Image.

Further info on how to get hold of the text and the zoom invitations below.