This interview with Martin Jay took place in January 2025. The conversation focuses on the conceptual elements of his book Magical Nominalism: The Historical Event, Aesthetic Reenchantment, and the Photograph (2025). Attention is given to the place of nominalism within philosophy and in connection to critical theory, history, and art. With a mind to his contribution to all these areas, as the Ehrman Professor of European History Emeritus at University of California Berkeley, Jay also positions this work alongside his previous (...) and possible contributions to intellectual history and social theory. (shrink)

This essay is a reflection on Albert Camus’s revival during the COVID-19 pandemic of the early 2020s. The popularity of Camus’s novel, The Plague, is considered alongside his other writing as something that speaks to many throughout their lives. Such appraisal is interspersed with personal reflections on family life during pandemic lockdowns and the ways that Camus’s thought resounds in our everyday selves. Written in two parts at different times – mainly in 2020 and with a 2023 afterthought – the (...) essay critically acknowledges how Camus instructs us to live together with meaning and dignity in an age of catastrophe. (shrink)

This essay explores the practice of translation, in dialogue with Rosenstock-Huessy’s sociological philosophy. The intention is to reinvigorate his concept of ‘speech-thinking’ and shed light on the intricate relationship between language, thought, and reality. Through an exploration of translation’s position at the interface of cultural otherness, we argue that speech-thinking offers deep analytical insight into the inner-workings of human existence. To support our argument, we delve into the speech of an immigrant subject within the dimensions of time and space, in (...) Rosenstock-Huessy’s terminology. Applying his philosophy, we contend that understanding the other’s lived experiences requires a translational process. This process involves examining internalized differences and aspects of selfhood. Importantly, the process of speech-thinking not only requires a creative and translational space but also facilitates self-reflection and -articulation. This, in turn, prompts ethical and aesthetic discussion of pressing issues in educational research. Through the processes of speech-thinking and translation, we cultivate a liminal space that challenges conventional meanings and understandings. This space has the potential to open up new avenues for exploring diverse ways of knowing, feeling, and being, thereby enriching our understanding of human existence. (shrink)

Review: David Jeneman, Adorno in America, ; Alex Thomson, Adorno: A Guide for the Perplexed.