7pm, June 27(Wed), 2012 Grand Peace Hall

Slavoj Zizek

What Is to Be Done for Politics?

Kyung Hee University / Kyung Hee Cyber University

We are about to witness political transformation. Politics, which seemed hopeless, is

"resurrecting." Stirred by the Arab Spring and motivated by "Occupy Wall Street" and the

"Indignados" of Spain, politics is under the spotlight once again. Political leaders are ex-

changing thoughts on this new change, and many philosophers are requesting for new

ideas on politics. If the political demand is to redefine itself in ways it cannot in its existing

value system, now is the time to view political issues from another perspective.

Aristotle's idea of politics ultimately referred to the "ability to speak." Politics, more than

anything, is "to speak out," and democracy allows "anyone to speak out." Politics is both

the subject of discussions and lively debates. It is "the realm of communication," where

countless words cross one another and different ideas and thoughts meet. Regrettably,

however, in almost all countries including Korea, it is nearly impossible to experience the

true image of politics. Instead of listening to different voices, politics rather seem to exist to

silence many voices. Politics has a long way to go before it truly becomes part of our lives.

How can we accept politics as just one of many issue in our lives? How can politics be-

come part of our lives? This is only possible when different thoughts and opinions are

actively exchanged. When different ideas on politics come across one another and create

new "harmony," politics and life will bring out creative effects. Philosophical discussions

on politics can specify the broad and in-depth possibilities of politics. Philosophers' critical

reflections that push politics to be "the politics of politics," take our politics suppressed in a

particular ideology and society to a whole new level for more open discussions.

Kyung Hee University will host a University Lecture, "What Is to Be Done for Politics?" fea-

turing Professor Slavoj Zizek, a renowned scholar today who actively unfolds philosophical

discussions on politics. Zizek is "the" philosopher pushing for the revolution of causes by

addressing some of the most popular and complex philosophical issues, As much as he

is known as the "Elvis Presley of philosophy," we hope his dynamic and passionate philo-

sophical talk will provide insights to some of the current issues we face for discussions.

Purpose

Slavoj Zizek Senior Researcher, Institute of Sociology, University of Ljubljana

Slavoj Zizek was born into a family of average wealth in Ljubljana, the

capital of modern day Slovenia. As being in the University of Ljubljana, he

began to turn to German idealism and to be influenced by the Frankfurt

School. The perspective formed through this interrogation of Karl Marx

and Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel has heavily influenced his contempo-

rary works. He was hired at the University of Ljubljana in 1971 where he

worked as an assistant researcher. His master's thesis was controversial

due to the Marxist tendency of the reformist Slovenian regime in 1973 and

therefore he lost his position at the university. After this period he worked

for the Yugoslav army in Karlovac. Slavoj Zizek later began to work as a

clerk for the Slovenian Marxist Center where he became acquainted with

Mladen Dolar and Rastko Mocnik. Both of these scholars were focused

on the works of Jacques Lacan. Slavoj Zizek began working for the Insti-

tute of Sociology for the University of Ljubljana in 1979. Shortly after in the

1980's he began to publish books which examined Heglian and Marxist

theories from the point of view of Lacanian psychoanalytic theory. He be-

came widely recognized as an important theorist of contemporary times

with the publication of The Sublime Object of Ideology, his first book to

be written in English, in 1989. Since this time Slavoj Zizek has taken the

contemporary philosophical world by storm, never afraid of confrontation

he is a dangerous theorist.

Lecture

T o w a r d s G l o b a l E m i n E n c E

University Lecture series invite renowned scholars from academic and intellectual history fields to “introspect and create,” in search of the better future of countries and humankind. Upholding its founding spirit of “Creating a Civilized World,” Kyung Hee University strives to carry on its tradition of “Scholarship and Peace.” With eminent scholars, expects, and realists from home and abroad, University Lecture series aim to offer new perspectives and peaceful future for our society and human civilization.