Conférence : Maintaining Life, Repairing the World (Alexandre Gefen et Sandra Laugier)

Alexandre Gefen et Sandra Laugier ont donné une conférence dans le cadre de la série d’événements publics « Regeneration » au Interdisciplinary Humanities Center. La conférence, en anglais, a été enregistrée et peut être regardée sur la chaîne Youtube du centre.

Description :

The COVID pandemic appeared as a threat to human life, both in the vital sense (a risk to biological life) and in the social sense (a risk to social life: disruption from the suspension of activities, lack of public transport, closure of schools, etc.). It has revealed radical vulnerabilities: of institutions, the species, and the planet; of fragile populations, workers “on the front line,” and each individual. The importance of caring for others and for those who care for “us” has become obvious, while the broader ignorance of society as to what sustains it has finally become evident. The very grammar of care has imposed itself upon all of us, because our vulnerabilities are never so visible as when the “normal” form of life has been disrupted. The pandemic, in its destruction of the space of ordinary life and of “weak links” – places where the daily and anonymous interactions occurred – has also undermined the democratic public space. This talk considers how public life and human interactions can recover. Alexandre Gefen and Sandra Laugier will explore how arts and literature contribute to the expectation of reparation and social transformation, the (re)creation of relationships, the formation of social resilience and other narratives, and the development of an ethic of care. (x)