89993 - Policies of the Imaginary (1) (LM)

Learning outcomes

The course aims to offer an overall picture of political thought on the role of imagination, both in European and Western classical authors, as well as in other theoretical traditions. Drawing from this historical reconstruction, several relevant issues of the contemporary debate will be faced: from the relationship between social movements and imaginary to the most recent developments in the media field; from virtual reality to changes in the concept of public opinion; from the renewed public presence of religions to the metamorphosis of the cultural industry.

Course contents

The course aims at introducing the notion of imaginary emphasizing its political implications. It will start by discussing the different meanings of the notion, dwelling on its relations with the philosophical concept of imagination and on the critique of religion pursued by such classical authors as Spinoza and Marx (with a focus on the concept of ideology). It will then shortly discuss the developments in psychoanalysis, anthropology, and sociology with respect to the notion of imaginary, in front of the emergence of mass culture. The relevance of the global uprising of '68 will be also stressed from this viewpoint.

Against this background the course will focus on the perspective of "cultural studies" developed by Stuart Hall, emphasizing the peculiar contribution he made since the 1990s to the debate on “globalization”, often proclaimed to be “over” today in a conjuncture shaped by war. In the second part of the course, we will focus on the global processes that continue to characterize the conjuncture - a notion that takes center stage in Hall's work - through a discussion of the book written by the instructor with Brett Neilson, The Rest and the West.

Readings/Bibliography

Required readings for the exam:

David Morley & Kuan-Hsing Chen (eds), Stuart Hall. Critical Dialogues in Cultural Studies, London - New York: Routledge, 1996 (only the chapters authored by Stuart Hall).

Sandro Mezzadra and Brett Neilson, The Rest and the West. Capital and Power in a Multipolar World, London - New York: Verso, 2024.

Further readings will be suggested during the course.

Teaching methods

Lectures will be combined with seminars, with direct involvement of students and possible use of audio-visual materials.

Assessment methods

The exam will be oral. Students attending classes are encouraged although not required to present a paper (ca. 4000 words), to be discussed during the exam. Students are required to turn in the paper at least one week before the exam.

Please note that AI can be a useful tool to support individual study through in-depth analysis, summaries, and self-assessment pathways. As for the assessment of learning, in the drafting of a paper, a limited, declared, and non-substantial use of AI is permitted.

Students with SLD or temporary or permanent disabilities. It is necessary to contact the relevant University office (https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/en) with ample time in advance: the office will propose some adjustments, which must in any case be submitted 15 days in advance to the instructor, who will assess the appropriateness of these in relation to the teaching objectives.

Teaching tools

The course presupposes a basic knowledge of the history of modern and contemporary political philosophy. Students who do not have such knowledge in their curriculum can refer to one of the following texts:

S.S. Wolin, Politics and Vision. Continuity and Innovation in Western Political Thought, Princeton, NJ, Princeton University Press, 2006

A. Negri, Insurgencies. Constituent Power and the Modern State, Minneapolis, MI, University of Minnesota Press, 1999

Students with SLD or temporary or permanent disabilities. It is suggested that they get in touch as soon as possible with the relevant University office (https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/en) and with the instructor in order to seek together the most effective strategies for following the lessons and/or preparing for the examination.

Office hours

See the website of Sandro Mezzadra