From: "Mohammed BEN JELLOUN" <mohammed.benjelloun-AT-mail.bip.net>
Subject: Re: Zizek on S11, sex, violence, 'politicaluniversality'...
Date: Mon, 26 Nov 2001 00:29:05 +0100


Dear Lou

I have this feeling that Zizek says more in pretty long and well directed interviews than in some, say, *magnus opus*. I have this feeling of being served a lot of desserts and sweet things but still denied the Zizekean _plat de résistance_. I'm suspecting here the interview and the newspaper article of being a major writing genre. Frankly speaking, don't you see the man is more at home in the media and less so in academia? However, if you still don't think there is some serious flaw in the man's deductive powers; for example in his way of deriving racism from multiculturalism, please feel free to introduce us into the heart and "substance" of his philosophy! Please feel free to "jump in", unless you're a professional, of course. Because that wouldn't be fair.

Mohammed

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Lou Caton" <lcaton-AT-wisdom.wsc.ma.edu>
To: <postcolonial-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu>
Sent: Sunday, November 25, 2001 7:00 PM
Subject: Zizek on S11, sex, violence, 'politicaluniversality'...


> I'm glad to see Mr. Butt's response to Zizek, and I thank him for keeping the
> dialogue alive. I'd like to add to the conversation, however, by asking if
> others feel much has been gained by Butt's comments.  It seems like the complain
> here is that Zizek was very superficial in his observations about the big topics
> of sex, mc, and the rest.  But, after all, it is an interview.  And, anyhow, I
> don't see a whole lot of substance either in the replies against Zizek thus
> far.  I'm not a big Zizek fan, but the ethical issue of female circumcision, for
> example, does happen to be a major concern for those mc'ers who want an emphasis
> on contingency and "local" rights for cultures.  And if the violence issue in
> regards to sex is tired, then tell me how it turned out?  Are we not suppose to
> comment on that issue anymore because it has all been settled?  Seems like
> Zizek, through most of the interview, points to debatable issues, concerns that
> don't fit easily into the label called "multiculturalism."  I agree, Z could
> have tried to define mc more specifically. Yes, it is a huge label, but if it is
> going to be used, we have to jump in.  What he says about it to my mind seems
> perfectly legitimate for the purposes of an interview and a conversation via the
> net.
> 
> Lou Caton <lcaton-AT-wisdom.wsc.ma.edu>
> 
> Danny Butt wrote:
> 
> > Hi
> >
> > Thought I should give Mohammed some props for his take on the Zizek piece
> > that was forwarded to the list. Here's my brief response to the Zizek
> > interview (from another discussion), which I thought may be of interest to
> > the list.
> >
> > Regards
> >
> > Danny
> >
> > ------ Forwarded Message
> > From: Danny Butt <db-AT-dannybutt.net>
> > Date: Sun, 25 Nov 2001 22:45:54 +1300
> > To: fibreculture <fibreculture-AT-lists.myspinach.org>
> > Subject: Re: ::fibreculture:: Zizek on S11, sex, violence, 'political
> > universality'...
> >
> > Ned, I know you asked for dialogue with Zizek on his terms rather than our
> > own diatribes, but I think you should ask *him* to conform to that request
> > before any of us! I usually admire Zizek's wit and stylish writing as much
> > as the next person, but at least half of this interview is a truly awful
> > anti-multiculturalist rant (with a bit of anti-feminism thrown in for good
> > measure).
> >
> > Here is a comprehensive list of the supporting expertise Zizek draws upon
> > for his trashing of multiculturalism:
> >
> > Alain Badiou, Nagisa Oshima, Jurgen Habermas, Jacques Derrida, Friedrich
> > Nietzsche, Virginia Woolf, Blaise Pascal, Charlie Chaplin, Fritz Lang, Marx,
> > Julia Kristeva, Freud, Ulrich Beck, Michel Foucault, Ariel Dorfman
> >
> > I wasn't expecting Eqbal Ahmed or anything, but he could have at least taken
> > issue with a specific writer or position rather than slamming "the
> > multiculturalists" (whoever they are: probably under your bed, or stealing
> > political agency from the working classes somewhere).
> >
> > That he has the arrogance to propose clitoridectomy as a "problem" of
> > multiculturalism that he's thought of, ignoring shelves of literature on the
> > issue, is truly astounding.
> >
> > His framing of sexual harrassment as an anti-erotic ideology is also
> > laughably hackneyed and tired, or at least I might be able to laugh if I
> > wasn't so scared that the person saying this is meant to be one of the
> > leading cultural theorists of the day.
> >
> > Sorry, I know this wasn't the response you were after Ned, but I found
> > myself pretty disturbed by this piece. Surely Zizek should have larger
> > problems than multiculturalism to worry about in his quest for the
> > political.
> >
> > If the guy had anything interesting to say about the Internet, then maybe
> > I'd cut him some slack. But given his inability to see value in the
> > affinitive political movements pioneered by activists working on gender and
> > ethnicity, it's probably no surprise that he hasn't much of a clue about the
> > network. I reckon he should stick to writing about cinema...
> >
> > Cheers,
> >
> > Danny
> >
> > Ned Rossiter wrote on 18/11/01 7:10 PM:
> >
> > > [this interview has been doing the rounds on a various lists, so you
> > > may well have seen it already.  I'm posting it fc because I think
> > > Zizek, if nothing else, consistently challenges the comfort zone we
> > > may (?) assume in the political dispositions we adopt, hold,
> > > enculturate into, whatever.  I'd be curious to hear what other fc's
> > > think of Zizek's call for a 'political universality', and how we
> > > might think that in relation to the net, and perhaps how me might
> > > then turn that back on Zizek's own readings of 'cyberspace'.  I know
> > > this certainly isn't a Zizek list, but if any of us were inclined,  I
> > > think it'd be interesting to start interrogating a few of the key
> > > thinkers commenting on net stuff - on their own terms if possible,
> > > rather than our own diatribes, and then bring it back home...Ned
> > >
> > > Spiked
> > > November 15
> > > http://www.spiked-online.com/Articles/00000002D2C4.htm
> > >
> >
> > ::posted on ::fibreculture:: mailinglist for australian
> > ::critical internet theory, culture and research
> > ::subscribe: fibreculture-request-AT-lists.myspinach.org
> > ::with "subscribe" in the subject line
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> > ::info and archive: www.fibreculture.org
> > ::please send announcements to seperate mailinglist
> >
> > ------ End of Forwarded Message
> >
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> 
> 
> 
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