Workshop: Foucault and the politics of resistance in Brazil
This workshop will bring together scholars throughout Brazil to discuss a little-known topic outside of Brazil: the intellectual and political importance of Michel Foucault’s visits to Brazil in 1965, 1973, 1974, 1975, and 1976. During these visits, Foucault synthesized and advanced his research in lectures and talks on an astoundingly wide range of topics, from juridical practices, to social medicine, to sexuality. He sought to clarify his unconventional perspectives in interviews with the press. Faced with the growing repression of students, professors, and journalists, Foucault also engaged in open opposition to the military dictatorship.
In this workshop, scholars will situate Foucault’s enormous contributions in Brazil within a series of theoretical, historical, and political contexts. They will also reflect on these contributions to illuminate aspects of the politics of resistance in Brazil in the past and present. The contributions to the workshop will serve as the basis for articles in the forthcoming issue of the interdisciplinary journal Carceral Notebooks (http://www.thecarceral.org/journal-vol13.html).
WORKSHOP SCHEDULE:
9:00 AM - 11:15 AM | Panel 1 (in English): Subjects of Resistance
Moderator: Shai Gortler
Marcelo Hoffman, “From Public Silence to Public Protest: Michel Foucault at the University of São Paulo in 1975”
Margareth Rago, “Foucault, Subjectivity, and Self-Writing in Brazilian Feminism”
Mauricio Pelegrini, “Foucault in Iran, Foucault in Brazil: Political Spirituality and Religious Counter-Conducts”
11:30 AM - 1:15 PM | Panel 2 (in Portuguese): Resistances Today
Moderator: Alessandro de Lima Francisco
Edson Passetti, “Foucault and Resistances: Penal Abolitionism”
Priscila Piazentini Vieira, “Foucault and the Courage to Radically Transform Existence”
1:15 PM - 2:30 PM | Lunch Break
2:30 - 5:00 PM | Panel 3 (in Portuguese): Encounters and Theoretical Contexts
Moderator: Marcelo Hoffman
Heliana de Barros Conde Rodrigues and Rosimeri de Oliveira Dias, “The Tiny Brazilian Press as Resistance: Foucault, the Enemy of the King”
Ernani Chaves, “‘The SNI Was Asking for the Roster’: Michel Foucault in Belém in November 1976”
Márcio Alves da Fonseca, “Power and Resistance: Foucault’s Laboratory in Brazil”
>> Simultaneous translation will be provided
>> Participation certificates won't be provided
Sponsors: Center for Contemporary Critical Thought (CCCT) – Columbia Law School and Columbia Global Centers | Rio de Janeiro