In the Spring of 1942, Martin Heidegger held the last of a series of lectures on the poetry of Hölderlin, in which he returns to the motif of the “Uncanny” that he had discussed some years earlier. At a critical juncture in the war, Heidegger reflects on the relation of the “home” to the “foreign,” and on the ways in which poetry — and specifically that of Hölderlin — can contribute to history and historical understanding. This talk seeked to retrace and untangle some of the strands compose the complex intertwining of poetry and politics, language and violence.

Samuel Weber teaches German and Comparative Literature at Northwestern University, where he holds a chair in Humanities. He also directs the Northwestern Paris Program in Critical Theory, now in its 24th year. His current research attempts to rethink the relation of singularity to generality with respect to politics, poetry and literary studies.

In English
With

Respondent: Astrid Deuber-Mankowsky
Moderation: Michaela Wünsch

Organized by

The Lecture was a cooperation between the University of Potsdam, the Institute for Media and Arts, EU Project REPEAT, and the ICI Berlin

The event, like all events at the ICI Berlin, is open to the public, free of charge. The audience is presumed to consent to a possible recording on the part of the ICI Berlin. If you would like to attend the event yet might require assistance, please contact Event Management.

KV Weber Hölderlinturm_innen