The Headless Politics of Georges Bataille with Stuart Kendall at the Durations Festival

Nov 18, 2024

Stuart Kendall, a scholar on Georges Bataille, dives deep into Bataille’s provocative thoughts on excess and political identity. They explore how Bataille's concepts can guide us through today's political landscape, contrasting emotional engagement in fascism with rational leftist approaches. The discussion also critiques modern consumerism's alienation, linking it to communal identity and desire. Kendall illuminates Bataille's insights on irrational violence and community resistance, framing these ideas as vital for understanding leadership and promoting multiplicity in politics.

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INSIGHT

Bataille's Political Core

Bataille's core political thought revolves around excess, heterology, and the festival.
He seeks a social structure that uses excess wealth gloriously, not catastrophically.

INSIGHT

Excess and Expenditure

Bataille focuses on the problem of excess and expenditure in all forms of wealth and energy.
He questions how we use energy, whether for waste or productive social purposes.

INSIGHT

Homogeneity vs. Heterogeneity

Homogeneity in social groups is threatened by internal differences and external forces.
Heterogeneity, being entirely other or cast out, also poses a threat.

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Blue of Noon

Georges Bataille

Harry Mathews

Georges Bataille's 'Blue of Noon' is a novel exploring themes of transgression, excess, and the limits of human experience. The novel follows the protagonist's descent into a state of profound alienation and his attempts to confront the absurdity of existence. Bataille's writing style is characterized by its raw intensity and unflinching portrayal of human desires and passions. The novel's exploration of sexuality, violence, and the sacred challenges conventional moral boundaries. 'Blue of Noon' is considered one of Bataille's most powerful and disturbing works, reflecting his broader philosophical concerns with transgression and the limits of human understanding.

Inner experience

Georges Bataille

Georges Bataille's 'Inner Experience' delves into the subjective experience of the sacred and its relationship to the profane world. Bataille explores the intense emotions and sensations associated with mystical experiences, emphasizing their transformative power. He challenges traditional philosophical approaches that prioritize reason and objectivity, arguing for the importance of subjective experience in understanding the human condition. The book's exploration of inner experience is intertwined with Bataille's broader critique of modern society, highlighting the alienation and lack of meaning that characterize contemporary life. Bataille's work offers a powerful affirmation of the importance of subjective experience and its potential for transcendence.

The accursed share

an essay on general economy

Georges Bataille

Georges Bataille's 'The Accursed Share' is a seminal work exploring the concept of 'expenditure,' the unproductive use of energy and resources. Bataille argues that societies must engage in acts of expenditure to maintain their vitality, challenging traditional economic models focused solely on production and accumulation. He examines various forms of expenditure, including religious sacrifice, war, and the arts, highlighting their role in channeling excess energy. The book's analysis of expenditure extends beyond economics, encompassing social, psychological, and even cosmological dimensions. Bataille's work offers a radical critique of capitalist society, proposing alternative models based on the acceptance and celebration of excess.

Theory of Religion

None

Georges Bataille

Georges Bataille's 'Theory of Religion' delves into the nature of religion, exploring its connection to sacrifice, expenditure, and the sacred. Bataille challenges traditional understandings of religion, arguing that it's not primarily concerned with morality or social order but with the experience of the sacred, which he associates with excess and transgression. He analyzes various religious practices and rituals, highlighting their role in channeling and managing excess energy. The book's central concept is 'expenditure,' the idea that societies must engage in acts of unproductive expenditure to maintain their vitality. Bataille's work offers a radical reinterpretation of religion, emphasizing its role in confronting and celebrating the limits of human existence.