Foucault on the Arts and Letters
Edited by Catherine M. Soussloff
Tuesday, December 6, 2016
4:00 – 6:00 pm
Reception to follow
Peter Wall Institute, UBC
Seminar Room 307
6331 Crescent Road
Vancouver, BC
As one of the most important philosophers of the twentieth century, Michel Foucault’s reputation today rests on his political philosophy in relation to the contemporary subject in a neoliberal and globalized society. This book offers insight into the role of the arts in Foucault’s thought as a means to better understanding his contribution to larger debates concerning contemporary existence. Visual culture, literary, film and performance studies have all engaged with Foucauldian theories, but a full examination of Foucault’s significance for aesthetic discourse has been lacking until now. This book argues that Foucault’s particular approach to philosophy as a way of thinking the self through the work of art provides significant grounds for rethinking his impact today.
Books will be available for signing by editor Catherine M. Soussloff and UBC contributors Sima Godfrey, French Literature; Brandon Konoval, Arts One and Music; Anton Lee and Marisa Sanchez, AHVA PhD Candidates.
Catherine M. Soussloff is Professor of Art History, Visual Art and Theory and an Associate at the Peter Wall Institute for Advanced Studies. Her many publications include Foucault on Painting (2017), The Subject in Art (2006), The Absolute Artist (1997), Jewish Identity in Modern Art History (1999), and Editing the Image (2008).
