Gauss Seminars in Criticism: Rey Chow
Tue, 4/22 · 5:00 pm—7:00 pm · Betts Auditorium
Humanities Council
The Humanities Council’s Spring 2025 Gauss Seminars in Criticism will be presented by Rey Chow, Andrew W. Mellon Distinguished Professor in the Humanities, Duke University. Her visit, under the general title, Critique and Contemporary Global Geopolitics, will comprise a public lecture on Tuesday, April 22 and a seminar on Wednesday, April 23.
Tuesday, April 22 at 5:00 PM in Betts Auditorium
Public lecture: “Liberal Democracy versus Totalitarianism? Misleading Terms of the New Cold War”
This lecture examines the conventional polarization of the terms “liberal democracy” and “totalitarianism”—a polarization that has shaped not only the contents but also the argumentative frame and thrust of many (Euro-American) discussions about contemporary global geopolitics. With reference to the writings of Roberto Esposito, the author traces the two terms’ philosophical affinity and historical implementation across modern and contemporary political regimes, with the suggestion that their continued antagonistic opposition is a misrecognition of dire portent.
Wednesday, April 23 at 12:00 PM – Location TBA
Lunch Seminar: “Critique beyond the Euro-American World: Limits and Possibilities”
With reference to several of Rey Chow’s recent publications, the seminar will explore the controversy over critique as a post-Enlightenment intellectual practice, one that has been intimately tied, in the decades since the Second World War, to the semiotics of language, reflexivity, and what is often called “theory” in Anglo-American humanistic studies. We will ask if critique’s radical legacy may be extended beyond the U.S. academy and in what ways, if at all, it can help us reconfigure the terms of contemporary geopolitical conflicts. Papers will be pre-circulated for discussion.
RSVP required for this event, which is open only to members of the Princeton University community. To reserve a spot, please submit this form. The location will be communicated to all registrants several days before the seminar.
