CORNELIUS CASTORIADIS: RETHINKING AUTONOMY Maison Fran=E7aise, Columbia University December, 1st - 3rd 2000 To celebrate the 25th anniversary of perhaps Cornelius Castoriadis' most influential work, "The Imaginary Institution of Society", this conference will assess the impact of Castoriadis' thinking and interrogate the forms and results of his influence on democratic politics, psychoanalytical studies, and philosophy. The legacy of Castoriadis has begun to affect our understanding of the origins, scope, and fallibility of social institutions and to shape our views on change, power, political autonomy, subjectivity, and the unconscious. The aim of the conference is to provide a forum around which diverse modes of inquiry influenced by Castoriadis can engage in a fruitful dialogue that will not only contribute to the progress of Castoriadis studies, but also further develop topics, themes, and arguments that are central to contemporary debates. For further information, please go to http://www.columbia.edu/cu/french/maison PROGRAM Day 1: Friday 1st Welcome Opening Remarks (10:15pm) Zoe Castoriadis Panel 1 (10:30am-12:30pm): Heterodox Marxism and Castoriadis Alex Callinicos, Department of Politics, York University, "Castoriadis and the Triumph of the Will" Stephen Hastings-King, Department of History, University of Pennsylvania, "Narrating the Collapse of the Marxist Imaginary" Dick Howard, Department of Philosophy, State University of New York, "Philosophy and Politics in Marx and Castoriadis" Chair and Commentator: Nadia Urbinati, Department of Political Science, Columbia University Panel 2 (1:30pm-3:30pm): The World in Fragments Johann Arnason, Department of Sociology, La Trobe University, "Roads beyond Marx: Castoriadis and the Others" Agnes Heller, Department of Philosophy, New School University, "Identity Formation as an Imaginary Institution" Hans Joas, Department of Sociology, Free University, Berlin, "On Articulation" Chair and Commentator: Linda Cardinal, Department of Political Science, University of Ottawa Film presentation (4:00pm-4:20pm) Panel 3 (4:30pm-6:30pm): Rethinking Democracy Jean Cohen, Department of Political Science, Columbia University, "The Self-Institution of Society and Representative Government: Can we Square the Circle?" Jean-Pierre Dupuy, =C9cole Polytechnique, CREA, France, "Individualism and Self-Transcendence Robert Redeker, =C9ditor of Les Temps Modernes, "Reading Castoriadis: Politicizing Existence" Chair and Commentator: Alastair Davidson, Center for Historical Analysis, Rutgers University Reception Day 2: Saturday 2nd Panel 4 (10:00pm-12:00pm): The Legacy of the Greeks John Ely, Writer, "Better than Kant's Novelties: Autonomy and Participation in Castoriadis, Aristotle and Anaxagoras" Peter Bratsis, Graduate School and University Center, City University of New York, "Castoriadis, Kantorowicz, and the Historicity of Political Forms" Vassilis Lambropoulos, Department of Comparative Literature, University of Michigan, "Tragedy and Autonomy" Chair and Commentator: Steven Bourke, Society of Calabrian Fellows Panel 5 (1:00pm-3:00pm): Instituting the Political Andrew Arato, Department of Sociology, New School University, "Constitution and Institution" Andreas Kalyvas, Department of Political Science, Columbia University, "Castoriadis' Critique of Liberalism" Linda Zerilli, Department of Political Science, Northwestern University, "Castoriadis and the Problem of the New" Chair and Commentator: David Ames Curtis, Writer and translator, France Panel 6 (3:30pm-5:30pm): The Elucidation of the Psyche and the Freudian Legacy Peter Dews, Department of Philosophy, University of Essex, "Symbol and Imagination: Castoriadis and Lacan" Joel Whitebook, The Columbia University Center for Psychoanalytic Training and Research, "Autonomy and The History of the Trance," Fernando Urribarri, Associaci=F3n Psicoanal=EDtica Argentina, "Beyond Freud= : The Radical Imagination and its Vicissitudes" Chair and Commentator: Andr=E9 Green, Soci=E9t=E9 Psychanalytique de Paris, France Roundtable Discussion (6:00pm-8:00pm) Paul Berman, Writer, United States Dick Howard, Department of Philosophy, State University of New York Edgar Morin, Department of Sociology, CETSHA, France Chair: Seyla Benhabib, Department of Government, Harvard University Day 3: Sunday 3rd Panel 7 (10:00am-12:00pm): The Practice of Philosophy Fabio Ciaramelli, ," Department of Philosophy, Federico II University of Naples, "Creation and Desires" Francisco Varela, Department of Biology, University of Paris X - Jussieu, "Autonomy and Closure: The Resonance of Castoriadis' Thought in the Life of the Sciences" Ernesto Laclau, Department of Political Science, University of Essex, "Castoriadis between Ontology and Politics" Chair and Commentator: Agnes Heller, Department of Philosophy, New School University Panel 8 (1:00pm-3:00pm): Psychoanalysis and the Project of Autonomy Stathis Gourgouris, Department of Comparative Literature, Rutgers University, "The Problem of Heteronomous Sublimation" Laurie Naranch, Department of Political Science, Providence College, "Psyche, Autonomy and Feminist Criticism" Yannis Stavrakakis, Department of Politics, Nottingham University, "Encounters with the Political in Castoriadis and Lacanian Theory: Between dislocation and Institution" Chair and Commentator: Donald Moss, Psychoanalyst, NYC Panel 9 (3:30pm-5:30pm): The Social Imaginary Institution of Society: 25 years after Warren Breckman, Department of History, University of Pennsylvania, "Hegemony or Autonomy: Castoriadis, Post-Marxism and the Social Imaginary" Christian Delacampagne, Department of French, Tufts University, "Philosophy and Politics: The Right Distance" Diane Pacom, Department of Sociology, University of Ottawa, "Castoriadis' Influence on Contemporary Social and Political Theory: Towards a New Critical Sociology of the Social-Historical" Simon Tormey, Department of Politics, University of Nottingham, "What's left of left Radicalism? Castoriadis and the Politics of Heterodox Marxism" Chair and Commentator: Peter Swan, Law School, Carleton College, Canada Reception A conference organized by Andreas Kalyvas, Steven Bourke, and Fernando Urribarri with the generous support of the Onassis Public Benefit Foundation, the Columbia University Sterling Currier Fund, the Foundation for Hellenic Culture, the Program in Hellenic Studies, Department of Classics, Columbia University, the Center for Comparative Literature and Society and in association with the Society of Calabrian Fellows.