Culture, Power and Politics » Podcast

In this session, we look at the so-called ‘affective turn’ in the humanities and social sciences since the late 1990s. We consider the multiple forms which this ‘turn’ to affect has taken, in both political terms (from libertarian accelerationists to radical communists) and disciplinary ( from film theory to geography), asking how Spinozan it all is, and whether that matters anyway. This is part of our series ‘From Marx to Spinoza’. For more information see: https://culturepowerpolitics.org/from-marx-to-spinoza-affect-ideology-materiality/ If you can support us with a small regular donation, please do so here. If you’d like to make a one-time donation, please do so here.

In this session we were joined by Tracie Matysik to discuss the very idea of a Spinozan philosophy beyond the writings of Baruch Spinoza himself, and particular in the work of Marx. To what extent is there a consistent  tradition of materialist monism that can be traced back to Spinoza and necessarily or possibly informs historical materialism? What is the nature of the Marx / Spinoza Encounter? How much Spinoza did Marx himself actually read? For more information about Culture, Power and Politics see here.  If you can support us with a small regular donation, please do so here. If you’d like to make a one-time donation, please do so here.

What is ‘affect’, why does it matter, and why did people working in the humanities and social sciences start talking about it so much from the 1990s onwards? This is a quick introduction to this topic, which was recorded in a hurry to make up for the fact that our big seminar on ‘the affective turn’ had to be postponed. That seminar will now take place March 23rd 2024. If you are reading this before then, please come along (it’s free and online)- details are here. For more information about Culture, Power and Politics see here. If you can support us with a small regular donation, please do so here. If you’d like to make a one-time donation, please do so here.

In this session, we’re joined by none other than Etienne Balibar to discuss the history and present state of dialogue between Marxism and Spinozism. This is part of our series ‘From Marx to Spinoza’. For more information see: https://culturepowerpolitics.org/from-marx-to-spinoza-affect-ideology-materiality/ If you can support us with a small regular donation, please do so here. If you’d like to make a one-time donation, please do so here.

With Jason Read and Jeremy Gilbert.In this seminar we finally lay out and discuss the core topics from Spinoza’s major philosophical works, and discuss some of the issues involved with trying to read a 17th century Dutch philosopher who wrote in Latin when you’re a 21st-century Anglophone with a life of your own to live.  This is part of our series ‘From Marx to Spinoza’. For more information see: https://culturepowerpolitics.org/from-marx-to-spinoza-affect-ideology-materiality/ If you can support us with a small regular donation, please do so here. If you’d like to make a one-time donation, please do so here.

With Matthew Worley and Jeremy Gilbert. This was a session of the event ‘The Radical 1970s’, held in London on December 9th 2023. The event was held to mark the publication of Michael Hardt’s book The Subversive Seventies. It was organised and hosted by Jeremy Gilbert and by Katy Petit of the Raphael Samuel History Centre, London.  This session featured Matthew Worley on punk in the UK and Jeremy Gilbert on musical creativity and political radicalism in the 1970s. If you can support us with a small regular donation, please do so here. If you’d like to make a one-time donation, please do so here.

With Sundari Anitha, Ruth Pearson and John Narayan. This was a session of the event ‘The Radical 1970s’, held in London on December 9th 2023. The event was held to mark the publication of Michael Hardt’s book The Subversive Seventies. It was organised and hosted by Jeremy Gilbert and by Katy Petit of the Raphael Samuel History Centre, London.  This session featured Sundari Anitha & Ruth Pearson speaking about the Grunwick Dispute and its wider implications, and John Narayan on Black Power and anti-racist activism in the UK. If you can support us with a small regular donation, please do so here. If you’d like to make a one-time donation, please do so here.

With Michael Hardt This was a session of the event ‘The Radical 1970s’, held in London on December 9th 2023. The event was held to mark the publication of Michael Hardt’s book The Subversive Seventies. It was organised and hosted by Jeremy Gilbert and by Katy Petit of the Raphael Samuel History Centre, London.  This session featured Michael Hardt himself discussing the politics of subversion and suppression in Italy and the wider world in the 1970s. We had originally publicised this session as featuring some other speakers, but none of them could make it, so Michael led a fascinating discussion on this crucial topic. If you can support us with a small regular donation, please do so here. If you’d like to make a one-time donation, please do so here.

This was a session of the event ‘The Radical 1970s’, held in London on December 9th 2023. The event was held to mark the publication of Michael Hardt’s book The Subversive Seventies. It was organised and hosted by Jeremy Gilbert and by Katy Petit of the Raphael Samuel History Centre, London.  This session featured Lynne Segal and Hilary Wainwright discussing feminism and women’s liberation in 1970s London. If you can support us with a small regular donation, please do so here. If you’d like to make a one-time donation, please do so here.

How does Spinoza fit into the history of Western (and world) philosophy? To what is he relevant outside of academic philosophy? Why did he become a hero to a certain strand of Marxist / post-Marxist thinkers in the late 20th century? Why was he ignored by others? This was the second in our ongoing series ‘From Marx to Spinoza: Affect, Ideology and Materiality’. It was a great seminar with 50 participants staying the whole course and generating a fascinating discussion. For information about the series or to join our email list, visit: https://culturepowerpolitics.org Featuring Jason Read, Andrew Goffey and Jeremy Gilbert (with technical assistance from Keir Milburn). If you can support us regularly, please do: https://www.patreon.com/culturepowerpoliticsSupport us with a one-off donation: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/xu2gRba5tT