mercredi 16 septembre 2009

# The metropolis and common life by Michael Hardt & Neil Smith

Before writing a post on Michael Hardt and Antonio Negri's swarm vision in Multitude, here is an important event. Michael Hardt will have a public conversation with Neil Smith called The metropolis and common life tomorrow in New York following the publication of Hardt and Negri's new book called Commonwealth.
Here is the introduction text:

On Thursday, September 17th (7PM), at Abrons Art Center in the Lower East Side, Michael Hardt will be speaking on the publication of “Commonwealth,” his latest book co-authored with Antonio Negri. When Empire appeared in 2000, it defined the political and economic challenges of the era of globalization and, thrillingly, found in them possibilities for new and more democratic forms of social organization. Now, with Commonwealth, Michael Hardt and Antonio Negri conclude the trilogy begun with Empire and continued in Multitude, proposing an ethics of freedom for living in our common world and articulating a possible constitution for our common wealth.

Drawing on scenarios from around the globe and elucidating the themes that unite them, Hardt and Negri focus on the logic of institutions and the models of governance adequate to our understanding of a global commonwealth. They argue for the idea of the “common” to replace the opposition of private and public and the politics predicated on that opposition. Ultimately, they articulate the theoretical bases for what they call “governing the revolution.”
Michael Hardt will be in dialogue with Neil Smith, renowned critical geographer, about the social relations of the metropolis as they function as the site for the production of common life, the site of hierarchy and exploitation, and the site of antagonism and revolt.

"The Metropolis and Common Life"
Michael HARDT and Neil SMITH in dialogue on the themes of "Commonwealth," Hardt and Negri's newest book.
THURSDAY, September 17th
7PM (doors at 6PM)
ABRONS ARTS CENTER
Henry Street Settlement
466 Grand Street (at Pitt Street)
New York, NY 10002