180068 PS Theory and phenomenology of the class (2021W)

The seminar will focus on contemporary re-interpretations of the concept of "class", as it was of key importance for and also beyond Marxism, and which currently experiences a revival in multiple fields. Students will gain an overview of different theories of class and classism. Starting with Bourdieu, there are specific interpretations of class tied up with these theories that are characterized by their autoanalyitcal approach. The result of these self-inquiries is an extensive phenomenology of class and class affiliations, that not only has the potential to (re)gain the concept of class for philosophy, but that also shows how philosophy and a philosophical education depend themselves on classistic exclusions.

The seminar is structured in two theoretical blocks (1) on the theory and history of the philosophical concept of class and (2) the autoanalysis or (auto)phenomenology of class.
Block (1) will start with a guided reading of "The Communist Manifesto" and the concept of class elaborated there, complemented by "A Worker's Inquiry", in which Marx anticipated contemporary autoanalytical approaches. Michel Foucault's history of the relation between "race" and "class" reveals the intersectional interlacing that is, from the beginning, constitutional for the concept of class. To sharpen the idea of intersectionality as a tool for analysis, the groundlaying work of Kimberlé Crenshaw will be discussed. By the end of block (1) contemporary approaches by Thomas Nail and Mark Fisher will be presented, that both indicate perspectives for future theories of class, for example via the figure of the migrant.
The passage from section (1) to (2) is marked by Pierre Bourdieu's "Outline of a Theory of Practice", that serves as an example for later works, as well as bell hooks' attempt of a re-introduction of class into queer-feminist and intersectional discourses, that also works auto-analytically on many levels. Following this, examples of explicit autoanalyses and auto-phenomenologies of class by Annie Ernaux, Didier Eribon, Edouard Louis and Tillie Olsen will be introduced and critically discussed.

Didactical methods
- formulation of 2 questions on the literature by students (at least 5 times per semester, to be submitted 2 days prior to the respective session, upload on moodle)
- at the start of each session 10-minute presentation by students, summarizing the discussion and key results of the previous unit
- approx. 15 minutes introduction by the lecturers on the respective literature (philosophical-historical contextualiziation of the text, author's background, formulation of questions for the discussion)
- open discussion on the literature (in groups and/or open plenum), moderated by lecturers
- group discussions
- assistence and guidance with the development of written papers, including discussion of emerging problems with finding a topic, structuring of scientific papers and research of additional sources etc.
Language: German