Topics in Literary Theory and History: Hauntologies

According to Mark Fisher, a ghost is characterized by the fact that it “cannot be fully present: it has no being in itself but rather marks the relationship to a no longer or not yet.”  It is what insistently makes itself felt in the present, even though it no longer exists or does not yet exist. Indeed, the present is haunted by the past as much as it is by unrealized visions of the future. At a time when a culture of amnesia threatens to enclose the horizon of the future, critical ghost studies become even more relevant. This seminar explores contemporary “hauntologies” (Derrida), probing their aesthetic and political implications. Since all readings and class discussion will be in English, proficience in German is, while desirable, not required.