Crisis, Extremes and Apocalypse - CEA Research Network

The 'Crisis, extremes and Apocalypse' TORCH research network brings together researchers and scholars from a wide range of disciplines and periods.

The concepts of 'Crisis' and 'Apocalypse' have rather abruptly recently resurfaced on our secularized horizons; yet, they have never been completely absent: merely, one could argue, in recession from our prevailing belief in ‘progress’. From meditations on a ‘last man’ in Victorian England to Gunther Anders’ writings on the nuclear threat in the 1950s, from Eighteenth Century literature on ruins t

o ISIS today, these themes seem to be inextricably bound to Modernity and our experience of it. Indeed, within the context of the 'historicization of our experience of time' (Reinhart Koselleck) and the concomitant acceleration of the latter since the advent of Modernity in the 17th and 18th centuries, experience and expectation have become increasingly divergent. In fact, the future has stopped appearing as an unequivocal source of optimism, often instead presaging considerable uncertainty: in the words of French philosopher Myriam Revault D’Allones, crisis has emerged as an ‘absolute metaphor of the contemporary age’. Furthermore, the prospect of the end of times has continued to loom over our heads, the fragilization or dissolution of each particular order often heralding ‘the end of all things’ (Kant) and the world itself. In these cases, the future has appeared closed off and predetermined as if it were already operating in the present; this has often had the effect of limiting human agency and political action. These topics are more timely than ever, and yet, there is no specially dedicated research centre or academic journal. The proposed network seeks to remedy this situation. The 'Crisis, extremes and Apocalypse' research network was created in September 2016 under the aegis of the Oxford Research Centre in the Humanities (TORCH) and aims to shed as many perspectives as possible on these themes (from music and philosophy to Islamic violence passing by Brexit, debates in early modern epistemology, the use of rhetoric and even artificial intelligence). It also seeks to approach them meta-critically and understand their various deployments. In addition to a year-long seminar series in Oxford bringing together scholars from a wide range of disciplines, the 'Crisis, extremes and Apocalypse' research network will also be hosting workshops on specific topics (including technologies of the future, Intellectual History and Terror during the French Revolution) as well as talks from several high-profile speakers throughout the year from and outside Oxford. The CEA research network also runs a blog featuring interviews with and 'Insights' from experts from across the world.

Walter Scheidel, “The Great Leveler: Violence and the History of Inequality” (Princeton UP, 2017)

20/10/2017

The 'Crisis, extremes and Apocalypse' research network is delighted to launch its new collaboration with the New Books Network. Our first podcast is an interview with Walter Scheidel, author of 'The Great leveler'. Enjoy!

Walter Scheidel, “The Great Leveler: Violence and the History of Inequality” (Princeton UP, 2017) In 2017 half of the world’s wealth belongs to the top 1% of the population. In his new book, The Great Leveler Violence and the History of Inequality from the Stone Age to the Twenty-First Ceâ€¦

16/09/2017

Coming up this year many speakers as part of our seminar series, worshops and annual conference including Carolin Duttlinger, Stefanos Geroulanos, Nicholas Halmi, Johannes Zachhuber, Alison McQueen Philip Bullock Nicolas Cronk Marisa Linton Olivier Tonneau Sophie Wahnich Katrin Kohl, Annabel Brett, Stuart Elden, Yakov Yadgar, Yair Mintzker, Richard Bosworth, Simon Ings, Patricia Clavin, Jessica Goodman, Jessica Stacey Stacey, Jean-Alexandre Perras etc.

16/09/2017

We are delighted to welcome the new members of the team Jessica Stacey Thomas Moynihan Sarah Cotterill and Catherine Redford!

16/09/2017

Welcome back to the 'Crisis, extremes and Apocalypse' research network for a year of more seminars, events, podcasts, workshops and conferences!

17/08/2017

The 'Crisis, extremes and Apocalypse' Research in the Voltaire Foundation blog. Look out for our workshop on Saint Just in November in Oxford!

https://voltairefoundation.wordpress.com/2017/08/17/apocalypse-then/

Apocalypse then The concepts of ‘crisis’ and ‘apocalypse’ have reappeared rather abruptly on our secularized horizons, yet they have never been completely absent: merely, one could argue, in retreat from our preva…

03/08/2017

Crisis and Renewal in the History of Political Thought
Fifth International Conference of the
European Society for the History of Political Thought
University of Heidelberg, 11-13 October 2018

https://europoliticalthought.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/crisis-eshpt-cfp.pdf

europoliticalthought.files.wordpress.com

19/07/2017

Simon Glendinning on 'Rethinking Crisis' - this year's keynote address at the 'Rethinking Crisis' early career conference
http://www.torch.ox.ac.uk/thinking-beyond-crisis

Thinking the Beyond of Crisis | TORCH Professor Simon Glendinnning (London School of Economics) delivered the keynote address on 'Thinking the Beyond of Crisis' at the TORCH Crisis, Extremes, and Apocalypse event 'Rethinking Crisis'. Crisis, Extremes, and ApocalypseEvent: Rethinking Crisis

19/07/2017

Luciano Floridi on Fascism, fake news and extremophilia
http://www.torch.ox.ac.uk/fascism-fake-news-and-nature-social-extremophilia-0

Fascism, Fake News, and the Nature of Social Extremophilia | TORCH The TORCH Crisis, Extremes, and Apocalypse network hosted a talk on 'Fascism, Fake News, and the Nature of Social Extremophilia' with Luciano Floridi (Professor of Philosophy and Ethics of Information, University of Oxford). Fascism is like an animal that lives at the edge of social environments.…

18/07/2017

Amir Engel (Hebrew University) on Gershom Scholem http://www.torch.ox.ac.uk/between-historiography-and-literature

Between Historiography and Literature | TORCH The TORCH Crisis, Extremes, and Apocalypse network hosted a talk on 'Between Historiography and Literature: "Gershom Sholem's Intellectual Biography". In this talk Emir addressed the "Gershom Scholem enigma" and described the path he took in his book Gershom Scholem: an Intellectual Biography in ord...

15/07/2017

We are delighted to announce that Professor Carlo Ginzburg will be coming to speak about his new book 'Fear Reverence Terror' in April 2018 as part of the Crisis, Extremes and Apocalypse research network.

05/07/2017

Carolin Duttlinger (Oxford) on Walter Benjamin and Goethe
http://www.torch.ox.ac.uk/rescue-face-danger-benjamin-goethe-sebald

Rescue in the Face of Danger: Benjamin, Goethe, Sebald | TORCH The TORCH Crisis, Extremes, and Apocalypse network hosted on 'Crises of Meaning and Political Theology'. This talk on ''Rescue in the Face of Danger: Benjamin, Goethe, Sebald'' was delivered by Carolin Duttlinger (University of Oxford). Crisis, Extremes, and ApocalypseEvent: Sacrifice Revisited

05/07/2017

Jean-Claude Monod (ENS) on Lowith and Blumenberg
http://www.torch.ox.ac.uk/progress-providence-eschaton-l%C3%B6with-blumenberg-and-after

Progress, Providence, Eschaton: Löwith, Blumenberg, and After | TORCH The TORCH Crisis, Extremes, and Apocalypse hosted a workshop on 'Crises of Meaning and Political Theology' . This talk on "

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Crisis, Extremes and Apocalypse - CEA Research Network

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