BSP Podcast

Tanja Staehler – Phenomenology of Childbirth between Theory and Practice

This is one of the papers from our 2017 Annual Conference, the Future of Phenomenology. Information and the full conference booklet can be found at www.britishphenomenology.org.uk

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Tanja Staehler is Professor of European Philosophy at the University of Sussex. Her current research focuses on the bodily experiences and emotions of pregnancy, birth, and being with infants, from a phenomenological perspective. Her research mediates between philosophers (phenomenologists), parents, and healthcare professionals such that the perspectives can be shared as well as differences acknowledged. She has published numerous essays in this area, including articles in the journals Janus Head, Health Care and Philosophy and also in the Yearbook for Eastern and Western Philosophy. Tanja has written books on (2016) Hegel, Husserl, and the Phenomenology of historical worlds. Rowman and Littlefield International (2016); Plato and Levinas: the ambiguous out-side of ethics. Routledge, New York (2009) and (together with Michael Lewis), Phenomenology: An Introduction. Continuum (2010)

Phenomenology of Childbirth between Theory and Practice

In this presentation, I want to reflect on the experience of researching childbirth from a phenomenological perspective. In particular, methodological challenges will be considered that emerge from work at the intersection of theory and practice. My co-designed online learning module for the Royal College of Midwives entitled ‘Communication in Labour’ will serve as an example for the practical aspect. The module attempts to utilise the concepts of emotions, reflection, responsivity and situation which emerge from the theoretical analysis.

Will Large – “Before language there is language”

In the final paper of our Cormac McCarthy workshop, Will Large, of the University of Gloucestershire and former BSP President, gives a critique of Cormac McCarthy’s Kekulé Problem for its reliance on scientific methodology. The chair is Dr David Deamer.

Dan O’Hara – “Some Aesthetic Implications of McCarthy’s Conception of the Role of the Unconscious in the Evolution of Forms”

Dan O’Hara (New College of the Humanities) speaks about the aesthetic implications of Cormac McCarthy’s concept of the unconscious in the Kekulé Problem at our July 2017 workshop. The chair is Katja Laug, another speaker at the conference whose paper is available in a previous podcast episode.

Julius Greve – “‘The Kekulé Problem’ in Cormac McCarthy’s Concept of Nature”

Julius Greve examines the concept of nature at work in Cormac McCarthy’s Kekulé Problem and his literature, most emphatically in comparison with F. W. J. Schelling. The chair is Keith Crome, president of the BSP.

Matt Barnard – “The Silent Call: Heidegger and McCarthy on Talking to Yourself”

Matt Barnard draws comparisons between Cormac McCarthy’s Kekulé Problem and Heidegger’s Being and Time in our July 2017 workshop. The chair is Adonis Frangeskou, member of the BSP executive.

Katja Laug – “Kekulé, or McCarthy’s Physicality of Dreaming”

Katja Laug speaks on physicality and dreaming in the work of Cormac McCarthy at our July 2017 workshop. The chair is Patrick O’Connor, convenor of the workshop and BSP Executive Member.

Chris Thornhill – “Language in Benjamin, Agamben and McCarthy.”

Chris Thornhill discusses Benjamin, Agamben and McCarthy’s Kekulé Problem at our July 2017 Cormac McCarthy workshop. The chair is Will Large, former President of the BSP.

Patrick O’Connor – “The Phenomenology of the Unconscious in Cormac McCarthy’s Kekulé Problem”

Dr Patrick O’Connor, convenor of our July 2017 workshop on Cormac McCarthy’s Kekulé Problem, opens the day with discussions of the philosophical themes of the author’s first essay. The chair is Matt Barnard, Secretary to the BSP.

Interview: Patrick O’Connor on Cormac McCarthy and Philosophy

This is an interview with BSP Executive Member Dr Patrick O’Connor discussing Cormac McCarthy and philosophy, the upcoming workshop Patrick is hosting in association with the BSP and Nottingham Trent University on 26th July 2017 in Manchester. Information about this workshop can be found at www.britishphenomenology.org.uk

Rachel Coventry: Can Poetry break the Internet: A Heideggerian account of Post-Internet Poetry

This is one of the papers from our 2016 Annual Conference, the Future of Phenomenology. Information and the full conference booklet can be found here on our society website.

Abstract

Sam Riviere’s 2015 collection “Kim Kardashian’s Marriage” is an example of Post-Internet poetry. Post-internet poetry is the practice of using Web content as the basis of poetry. This paper will attempt to show that a Heideggerian analysis can shed light on contemporary texts in a way that renews Heidegger’s poetic thought and calls it into question in the light of new poetic practices. Specifically, Rivierie’s collection will be considered in terms of Heidegger’s opposing accounts of both technology and poetry. Social media is often understood in terms of enframing and thus it contributes to the “extreme danger” of the information age and the marginalization of art.  However, this danger is accompanied by a saving power. Can a collection like Rivierie’s succeed in make the ‘danger’ of social media explicit?