"The Poesy of Class: Romantic Anti-Capitalism and the Invention of the Proletariat in German Vormarz Literature and Theory"
Monday, 10/02/2017
6:00 PM
Macky 230
University of Colorado Boulder
With Patric Eiden-Offe
Results
The lecture was a success, as 28 out of the 35 attendees were students. Dr. Eiden-Offe delivered a public lecture focusing on the development of the proletariat as an object of social critique, ideological discourse, and revolutionary theories of the change during the time of the so-called "Vormärz," the historical period also often referred to as restoration, between the restructing of Europe after the defeat of Napoleon and the 1848 revolution. During this time, the proletariat developed as a collective of impoverished craftsmen, urban rabble, rural vagabonds, broke aristocrats, and intellectuals who lived a free but precarious life. Dr. Eiden-Offe discussed the importance of literary discourse and of "poesy" for the figuration of the proletariat. On the one hand, he argued that literary texts such as social poems, reports, novellas, and pamphlets must be considered essential materials for the cultural formation and self-conception of the proletariat. On the other hand, the process of formation of what Karl Marx referred to as the "classless class" goes hand in hand with the establishment of new journalistic forms of writing. Two questions in particular surfaced in our lively discussion. First, the status of literature as a medium for the formation of community. Second, similarities between the historical situation of the proletariat and today's heterogeneous group of the so-called "precariat". Participants of the event were particularly interested in a combination of these two topics resulting in a discussion of the necessity and possibility of an aesthetic contribution to the formation of the "precariat" as a community.
In addition, the discussion of the relevance of aesthetics for the community formation has inspired a seminar on "The Contemporary and the Novel" that will be held at the next German Studies Association conference and that will include participation of graduate students from CU Boulder.
Sponsored By:
GSLL
Center for Western Civilization, Thought and Policy
CHA
The Center for Western Civilization, Thought and Policy funds research and educational initiatives that contribute to critical reflection on the development of Western civilization. All CU Boulder faculty and students are eligible to apply If you are interested in applying for a CWCTP faculty grant, deadlines are rolling throughout the year.