"Bodies of Politics. Somaesthetics, Somapower, Microphysics of Emancipation and Niches of Liberation"

"Bodies of Politics: Somaesthetics, Somapower, Microphysics of Emancipation and Niches of Liberation"

Leszek Koczanowicz (University of Social Sciences and Humanities of Wroclaw, Poland)

Special lesson

Con: Centro di Ricerca “Culture Fashion Communication”
A cura di: Stefano Marino

Teams

The aim of this lecture is to analyze resistance to oppressive power in everyday life, with an emphasis on bodily practices that become vehicles of emancipation. The research project is located at the intersection of two important, but never adequately explored, theoretical fields: the body as a vehicle of social critique and the relationship between the everyday and politics. I would like to address these two issues by discussing the debates on them that are unfolding in the contemporary social sciences and humanities. Starting from Richard Shusterman's somaesthetics, I would like to introduce new categories of analysis: somapower, microphysics of emancipation, niches of liberation.

Leszek Koczanowicz is Professor of Philosophy and Political Science at Faculty of Psychology at the SWPS University of Social Sciences and Humanities of Wroclaw (Poland). He specializes in theory of culture, social theory, and cultural aspects of politics. His previous appointments include inter alia Wroclaw University, SUNY/Buffalo (1998–1999 and 2000–2001), Columbia University (2004–2005), and SUNY/Geneseo (2013), Helsinki Collegium for Advanced Studies (2015-2016). He is the author and editor of twelve books and numerous articles in Polish and English, including "Politics of Time: Dynamics of Identity in Post-Communist Poland" (2008), "Politics of Dialogue. Non-Consensual Democracy and Critical Community" (2015), "Anxiety and Lucidity: Reflections on Culture in Times of Unrest" (2020). He has recently edited (with Idit Alaphandry) "Democracy, Dialogue, Memory: Expression and Affect Beyond Consensus" (2018).