Prof Madlen Dolar on “Hontology”, May 19

Dear all,

the University of Dundee Philosophy Speaker Series supported by the Royal Institute of Philosophy will continue in May with a final major events of the year:

Prof Mladen Dolar will give a lecture on “On Hontology” on the 19th of May at 4pm.

He will give a in person only workshop on related themes on the 20th of May, from 11-4pm.

Please note that the lecture will be held in person and online. The workshop will only be in person.

Do register for the IN PERSON lecture here: here

Do register for the ONLINE access to the lecture here: here

Do register for the IN PERSON workshop here (only register if you can attend both sessions):

here



On Hontology – abstract



Hontology is a pun proposed by Lacan, combining ‘ontology’ and la honte, shame in French. With ‘h’ being mute in French, the two words sound exactly alike (not to be confused with hauntology, hantologie, another pun proposed by Derrida in a similar vein, albeit with different ramifications). The pun was proposed in the last session of Lacan’s seminar The other side of psychoanalysis (1969/70), in the wake of the May ’68 revolution. The purpose of the paper is threefold: to examine the notion of shame and the bearing it has on ontology, implied by the pun, as well as its political impact at that moment and beyond; to explore the dimension of punning as central to the formation of concepts, to start with the bearing it has on ontology and the concept of being, the seemingly trivial pursuit intersecting with the seemingly most serious ambition; to gauge from that vantage point the fate of psychoanalysis in the last fifty years, its trajectory from the moment of glory in the late sixties and the seventies to the present crisis – the fate it shares with the crisis of all critical thought in the times of shamelessness.

Looking forward to seeing you at the events!

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