The philosopher Michel Foucault developed the concepts of “biopower” and “biopolitics” to analyze the state’s growing involvement in the biological life of citizens. This seminar will explore the applicability of Foucault’s theory to the politics of COVID-19.
The interdisciplinary theorist René Girard’s work traces the sources of human conflict to the tendency to imitate, and identifies scapegoating as a fundamental means of social pacification. This interactive seminar will explore Girard’s core insights with reference to the fraught realm of contemporary social media.