“Cynicism in higher education and playful academic practice.”
When? 14 February, 3-5pm.
Where? Templeman Library Seminar Room 1
Hybrid? Yes, if you want to join online: Click here to join the meeting
Cynicism is a pervasive force in society. Moreover, critique and other acts of truth-telling are powerless when facing cynics. There’s no point trying to enlighten the cynic and confront them with the truth about their actions. The cynic already knows what they are doing, but they are doing it anyway. This encounter with cynicism can leave us morose, apathetic, and spiritually empty. In this CHMH LAB, we explore playful academic practice as an antidote to cynicism.
This LAB will feature a series of interactive sessions, focusing on the site of higher education.
Dr Shaun Doyle, “The University as site of kynismus”
Shaun will tackle three themes in his session. First, we will discuss how the university is not only a source of cynicism but is also one of the three key sites that Peter Sloterdijk identifies as propagating kynismus. Second, we will explore sites for the playful production of knowledge that lie outside the university and the significance of these sites. Finally, we will engage with a recent series of Shaun’s artistic work (Wunch, 2024), which is an embodied practice of kynismus.
Bio: Shaun Doyle (b. 1968) is an artist living and working in London and Stoke-on-Trent. I’m a recent PhD graduate from the RCA where I researched kynismus, specifically Sloterdijk’s proposal outlined in his 1987 work, Critique of Cynical Reason, to revive the tradition of kynismus as a counter-strategy to cynicism. As an artist I work in public spaces, empowering mostly found objects through acts that subsequently create some sort of predicament for their host.
Jonas Kiedrowski, “Ludus or Ludicrous: What You Can and Cannot Say in Academic Work.”
In this session, Jonas will share some playful satiric passages from his thesis that have raised the eyebrow of his supervisor. Each passage will prompt a group discussion rooted in two questions: Is there truth to the statement? If so, why can’t it be said this way?
Bio: Jonas Kiedrowski is a full-time cat parent and part-time Media Studies PhD student at the School of Arts, University of Kent. He is studying satire and liberalism, focusing on satire’s relationship to liberal temperament and moderation.
Dr Dieter Declercq, “Cynicism, Play and Personal Encounters in Academic Writing.”
Dieter will talk about some encounters with cynicism. We will explore to which extent the playful representation of these encounters can feature in academic writing. The key question which animates this session is: we all know it, but can we say it?
Bio. Dieter Declercq is Senior Lecturer in Film and Media and Co-Director of the Centre for Health and Medical Humanities at Kent (CHMH). When he pitched this session to CHMH, they had to say yes.