ZIZ127 Against the Double Blackmail (20.04.2016)

Refugees, Terror and Other Troubles with the Neighbours

In this talk Pro­fessor Žižek will talk about his new book, Against the Double Black­mail: Refugees, Ter­ror and Other Troubles with the Neigh­bours. From within the safety of Europe Žižek argues we face two ver­sions of ideo­lo­gical black­mail – open-door solid­ar­ity with refugees and draw­bridge-minded pro­tec­tion­ism. Both pro­long the prob­lem – so, con­fron­ted with this double black­mail, we find ourselves back at the great ques­tion: what is to be done? The refugee crisis offers to Europe an oppor­tun­ity: a unique chance to redefine itself. The only way, argues Žižek, to truly get to the heart of one of the greatest and most urgent issues con­front­ing Europe today is to insist on the global solid­ar­ity of the exploited and oppressed. Maybe such global solid­ar­ity is a uto­pia. But, he warns, if we don’t engage in it, then we are really lost. And we will deserve to be lost

The Forum for European Philosophy