Theory Buzz Podcast Episode 3
A Book Talk with Achille Mbembe
Hosted by Basssam Haddad and Libby Anker
Necropolitics
Thursday, 15 April | 2 PM EST
Learn more at www.TheoryBuzz.com
In the third episode of Theory Buzz Podcast, hosts Bassam Haddad and Libby Anker speak with Achille Mbembe on his book Necropolitics (Duke University Press, 2019). The conversation will feature subjects discussed in the book, such as an investigation into the way categorizing violence within the binary of what is acceptable or unacceptable to a polity has become a core aspect of allegedly democratic state-building. Visit www.TheoryBuzz.com for more information.
Theory Buzz Podcast is a monthly podcast that brings authors, books, theory, and the world together in a dynamic way. Away from both lofty pretenses and empiricist disdain, we cut through the jargon to elucidate important ideas and emphasize their significance to our moment. Every month, we hold a friendly but productive conversation with an author of a recent book in social theory, broadly conceived (don’t hold us to account on “recent”). Our conversations will address the history and trajectories of these works, while emphasizing their relevance to, and impact on, the worlds we live in.
Previous Podcast Episode
Wendy Brown, In the Ruins of Neoliberalism (Columbia University Press, 2019)
Mahmoud Mamdani, Neither Settler Nor Native (Harvard University Press, 2020)
Guest
Achille Mbembe is an internationally recognized philosopher, political scientist, and public intellectual, and serves as Research Professor in History and Politics at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg South Africa. He is one the world's most influential critics of colonialism, the postcolony, and African modernity. The recipient of many awards for his scholarship, his most recent books include Necropolitics (Duke, 2019) and Out of the Dark Night (Columbia, 2021).
Hosts
Elisabeth Anker is an Associate Professor of American Studies and Political Science at George Washington University. She is the author of Orgies of Feeling: Melodrama and the Politics of Freedom (Duke, 2014) and the forthcoming book Ugly Freedoms (Duke, 2022 expected). She is also co-editor of the journal Theory & Event, and a frequent contributor on international television and radio news. @libankerDC