The Tragedy of Individuality: The Challenges of Social Theorizing Since Simmel with Thomas Kemple

The Tragedy of Individuality: The Challenges of Social Theorizing Since Simmel with Thomas Kemple

Categories: Lectures and Seminars | Intended for , , ,

Thursday, February 06, 2020

2:30 PM - 4:30 PM | Add to calendar

A720 Loeb Building

1125 Colonel By Dr, Ottawa, ON

Contact Information

Kimberley Seguin, 613-520-2600 x. 2583, soc-anthro@carleton.ca

Registration

No registration required.

Cost

Free

About this Event

Host Organization: Department of Sociology and Anthropology
More Information: Please click here for additional details.

The limits of social theory often become apparent when we confront its most instructive failures. For classic sociologists like Georg Simmel (1868-1918), the tragedy of modern culture could not be examined scientifically, but only in literary and philosophical terms as a dramatic plot characterized by mounting tensions culminating in catharsis, catastrophe, or redemption. Likewise, he described in only a schematic way how modern city-dwellers face the formidable challenges of asserting their common humanity; expressing their personal liberty; and acknowledging their divided selves. This talk addresses the impasses that Simmel faced in theorizing a fragmented world, and argues that although his answers are not always satisfying to us, returning to his questions is still essential for understanding the eco-political and psycho-social challenges we face today.

Thomas Kemple is Professor of Sociology at the University of British Columbia. His recent books include Simmel (Polity Press Classic Thinkers Series, 2018) and Writing the Body Politic: John O’Neill Reader (co-edited with Mark Featherstone, Routledge Classical and Contemporary Theory Series, 2020). He’s currently working on an ethnographic study of summer field schools in Vancouver and Guatemala.

This lecture is part of the Department of Sociology and Anthropology Colloquium Series.