Problematizations seminar 2019-2020: Language and Power

The previous season’s overall problem was knowledge and power (to find out about that, go here). Starting with the history of the dispersion of natural, so-called hard sciences into the realm human and social sciences, we went on to the ways in which governing of societies implicates knowledge-regimes relying on hard sciences, and ended up with the strategic logic by which knowledge and power mix together in the field of politics and rhetoric. This season we will try to enter the same problematic from the human sciences end, continuing from the point where the last season left us: the problem of language and power.

Problematizations team has published the results of its work in 2018-2019 in a special issue of the No Foundations open access journal. The theme of the special issue is The Politics of Knowledge. See www.nofoundations.com/currentissue.

Language and power

Through language we make sense of strange things, yet the strangest thing perhaps is language itself. Do we even agree on the meaning of this one term: language? Is language about words, notions and concepts, or is there a more concrete and primordial language of images? How about the language of the subconscious, the so-called ‘discourse of the other’, whose work is to dissolve any attempt to fix meaning? Does technology, the language of machines and computers, have a philology of their own? Does nature somehow speak to us, even guide us in life? Can we say that our bodies express themselves in the language of symptoms, sings of illness and health?

Our attempt to enter the thinking about language is through three problematizations, all opening up from the perspective of power:

Problematization: Secret? One problem of language is about the secrets hidden in, by and behind language. Perhaps true reality is better kept away from people’s awareness and language is made use of for that purpose: it exists to keep the secret. Pretending to bring things clear to the mind, language perhaps rather disguises, misrepresents and withholds what might cause unrest, anxiety and disturbance in the orderly functioning of society.

Problematization: Poetics? Another problem of language is the world of words that it endlessly continues to create. Maybe language has a living, poetic reality of its own. Some would say that language is ‘the house of being’, the home for humans to dwell, but what if there are different discursive ‘houses’, in whose confrontations and shifting alliances language gets constituted as a field of eternal becoming: nothing is constant but alterations, variations and substitutions.

Problematization: How to dwell in that which is secret? A third problem of language is that of how to use it, not in order to come closer to what it hides and keeps secret, which would be to desecrate the house which it is, but to give full power to its essential qualities in ways that enhance ourselves, collectively and individually; which is to ask, also, how might language be the source of a politics which no longer proceeds from the real but from the imaginary.

Finally, how did one, in the West and elsewhere, develop this sort of critical view, suspicion and distrust towards language, or was it there from the beginning? In short, how did language become a problem for us?

Programme

We will organise monthly seminar events open to everyone interested in the problem of language and power. Please find the tentative timetable below (changes are possible!).

Autumn

On Wednesday 4 September, Samuli Hurri spoke on Louis Althusser’s text Ideology and Ideological State Apparatuses (for abstract, go here).

On Wednesday 16 October, Iiris Kestilä spoke about sexuality and languages of power (for abstract, go here). Joonas Vola from social sciences provided comments. 

On Wednesday 6 November, we discussed language of the machines. Mika Viljanen from University of Turku spoke on the topic of 'The law in the making – where technology is taking us?' (for abstract, go here). Our other guest speaker Claes Tängh Wrangel from Mälardalen University spoke on the topic of 'The imaginative horizon of contemporary war: Neurobiology, AI and the US military' (for abstract, go here).

On Wednesday 13 November, we discussed language of economics. Tomi Tuominen spoke on 'The Representation of "Wealth" in the European Economic Constitution.' Samuli Hurri provided comments.

On Wednesday 11 December, our language was of the postcolonial feminisms. Punam Noor spoke on 'Problematising pro-LGBT rights' decisions under the lens of post-colonial feminism.' Heidi Sinevaara-Niskanen provided comments.

Spring

* Due to the coronavirus situation some of the events have been cancelled *

On Wednesday 12 February, Johan-Eerik Kukko spoke on the topic of 'Power of mask: Seeking justice' (for abstract, go here). Julian Reid provided comments. 

On Wednesday 26 February, Veera Salokannel spoke on the topic of 'Ecological compensation, a tool to stop the biodiversity loss or a way to continue as before?' (for abstract, go here). Tomi Tuominen provided comments. 

On Wednesday 11 March, Sanna Mustasaari from University of Helsinki spoke on the topic of 'Affect in the constructions of justice: “ISIS-families” in the Finnish public debate' (for abstract, go here). Tiina Seppälä from social sciences provided comments. 

* CANCELLED * On Wednesday 25 March, we will have two discussions. First, Emma Holkeri from University of Turku will speak on the topic of 'Defining and controlling threats at schools after school shootings: (Self)reflections of academic knowledge production' (for abstract, go here). Our other guest speaker Jussi Sallila from Finnish Lawyers' Association will speak on the topic of 'Language, history and the search for a true theory of law' (for abstract, go here). 

Time: 1-3 pm
Venue: 339 (Faculty of Law, 3rd Floor)
Language: English

* CANCELLED * On Wednesday 8 April, Milka Njoroge from Åbo Akademi University will speak on the topic of 'Photography and the black subject' (for abstract, go here).

* CANCELLED * On Wednesday 22 April, Iiris Kestilä from University of Lapland and Jenni Hakkarainen from University of Helsinki will speak on the topic of 'Articulations of injustice' (for abstract, go here). 

* CANCELLED * On Wednesday 6 May, we will have two discussions. First, Kosti Joensuu will speak on the topic of 'Embodiment and Human action in the 17th and 18th –century Physiological Vitalism' (for abstract, go here). Our other speaker Pauliina Jääskeläinen will speak on the topic of 'Body movement as a bypass of unconscious knowledge' (for abstract, go here).

* CANCELLED * On Wednesday 20 May, Closing of the Seminar. Julian Reid will speak on TBA. 

Seminar will take place at the University of Lapland, Rovaniemi.