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 and on the "postcolonial" twist of that perspective in the work of Paul Gilroy.

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).

Paul Gilroy, Black Atlantic. Modernity and Double Consciousness, Cambridge, MA: HArvard University Press.

Further bibliographical references will be suggested during the course.

Teaching methods

Lectures will be combined with seminars, with direct involvement of students and possible participation of external guests.

Assessment methods

The exam will be oral. Students attending classes are encouraged although not required to present a paper (ca. 5000 words), to be discussed during the exam.

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
C. Galli (ed), Manuale di storia del pensiero politico, Bologna, Il Mulino, 2011
A. Pandolfi (ed), Nel pensiero politico moderno, Roma, Manifestolibri, 2004

Links to further information

http://unibo.academia.edu/SandroMezzadra

Office hours

See the website of Sandro Mezzadra