Due to unforeseen circumstances, this lecture has been cancelled.

“Democracy as a Tragic Regime”
Lecture by Nathalie Karagiannis, University of Sussex
3pm, Monday, March 19, 2007
Classical Studies Library, 2175 Angell Hall

The idea of democracy as a tragic regime is Cornelius Castoriadis'. Mostly in his seminars but also in his published articles, Castoriadis alludes to the link between tragedy and democracy, arguing that their contemporary appearance in ancient Athens is a certain sign of their intricate bonds. Tragedy is democratic because it “presentifies” to the Athenian audience the political dilemmas the audience faces and the idea of limits. In turn, democracy is a tragic regime. The first part of this lecture will explore these two sequences in Castoriadis’ thought. The second part will think through democracy as a tragic regime.  It will distinguish between two possible forms of democratic self-cancellation: temporary self-cancellation and its relation to law (state of exception), on the one hand, and fully voluntary self-cancellation and democratic excess, on the other. Finally, the third part will focus on two characteristics of democracies that have historically led to their tragic end: the incapacity to think radical equality internally and the incapacity to open-up externally. What are the choices a democracy faces nowadays before its two fundamental limits?

Co-sponsored by LSA Citizenship Theme Year.