Michel Foucault in China

In commemoration of the 30th anniversary of Foucault’s death, the Institute for Cultural Studies of Capital Normal University and Red Brick Art Museum co-organized the forum Foucault in China. This Forum will invite 20 young and middle-aged scholars to open up specific discussions about Foucault’s propositions and achievements in various fields such as politics, philosophy, ethics, and art etc.

Michel Foucault (1926 – 1984) was a French philosopher, social thinker and “thought system historian”. He is probably the most influential thinker of the 20th century. Since 1970s, with his growing influence, the development of western humanities have been greatly changed. And Foucault is still giving a direct impact on the academia until now. He becomes one of the most popular foreign thinkers in China in the context of the various western thought flooded into this country along with the rapid social changes after the Chinese economic reform.

As the professor of Institute for Cultural Studies of Capital Normal University and the author of The limits of Michel Foucault as well as the curator of the forum, WANG Min’an said, “Foucault is the most influential thinkers in China and even the world’s best in the past 20 years. His philosophy makes lyric and analysis perfectly match. He is not only a passionate poet, but also a rigorous intellect.”

Agenda
Part I Foucault and Politics 9:00 – 10:30
Moderator: CHEN Yongguo
Speakers:
ZHANG Xu / Bio-politics and Telling the Truth: Subject – Power – Truth
LAI Lili / Foucault, Medicine and Public Health
ZHANG Kai / From Bio-politics to Thanatopolitics
WANG Liqiu / Foucault in Politics

Part II Foucault and Philosophy 10:40 – 12:00
Moderator: HU Jihua

Speakers:
JIANG Hongsheng / Alain Badiou’s Study on Foucault
ZHAO Wen / Legible and Visible – Foucault’s thoughts of Installation
SUN Shicong / Foucault and Depression in China in the 1980s: the Relationship between Philosophy and Reality
WANG Min’an / Why Foucault is Important?

Part III Foucault and Ethics 13:30 – 14:50
Moderator: ZHANG Xu
Speakers:
HU Jihua / Foucault and Classical Humanism
WANG Xingkun / Foucault’s Existential Aesthetics and Politics of Pleasure
YAO Yunfan / Management Base on Collective Will: The Iranian Revolution and Transition of Foucault’s Thought
DU Yusheng / Practice of Philosophy and Character Shaping – Foucault’s Study of Ancient Philosophy

Part IV Foucault and Art 15:00 – 17:50
First Half 15:00 – 16:20
Moderator: LI Yang
Speakers:
CHEN Yongguo / Foucault’s Literary thought
QIN Siyuan / Narrenschiff: Foucault and Spreading of Contemporary Art
JIANG Yuhui / From Alternative Space to Fold Place – Michel Foucault, Gilles Deleuze and the Spiritual Dimension of Contemporary Land Art
LU Mingjun / Foucault’s Painting Studies and 20th Century Paradigm Changes in Art History

Second Half 16:30 – 17:50
Moderator: SUN Shicong
Speakers:
LI Yang / Foucault’s View on Movie
HE Kuanzhao / Foucault’s View on Music

CHE Fei / Foucault’s View on Architecture
WEI Guangji / Foucault and Sade