Colloquium

"Love, Politics, and Peoples: Questioning Love's Role in Politics"
Dr. Eyo Ewara - Associate Professor of Philosophy, Loyola University Chicago
Friday, September 18th at 3:30
Marquette Hall Room 105

Is love the answer to our political ills? An air of pessimism increasingly surrounds politics in America and elsewhere. The rise of ethnonationalisms and seemingly unbridgeable sectarianism; the loss of confidence in public institutions’ ability to counterbalance personal or group interest; the loss of faith in social progress and the seeming rollback of rights and opportunities; all of these characterize our current moment in ways that have created a hunger for alternative political approaches. In the face of these challenges, several thinkers and politicians have turned to the idea that love is the key to solving contemporary conflicts.  Seeming to promise a less aggressive, more connection-based, more creative and more  open-ended affective basis from which to engage with other people and with the problems that we share, a “politics of love” can be deeply appealing to those hoping for a different attitude through which to approach the problems of politics. That said, this  talk calls such approaches into question. Drawing on thinkers like Sara Ahmed, James Baldwin, and Hannah Arendt, it points to how, while love can surely be the basis for openness, connection and care, it can also give rise to harmful idealizations, inequality and violence. It argues for the importance of taking a more ambivalent approach to conceptualizing  love and, consequently, to love's role in political life. 

Reading Groups

Classical German Philosophy Reading Group
Meets Thursdays, 12pm-1pm, in MH418. In Fall 25, reading Kant's Groundwork for the Metaphysics of Morals. For more information, contact Michael Olson.

Greek Philosophy Reading Group
Meets Tuesdays, 9am, in person (MH102) and online. Email Owen Goldin for details. 

Indigenous Philosophy Reading Group
Meets every Thursday, 3:30pm, either in person (MH102) or via Teams. Email Caden Page for the Teams link.

Gloria Anzaldúa Reading Group
Meets every other week on Tuesdays, 10am-11am, in the downstairs lounge space, with virtual options available upon request. Contact Emily Lange for details. 

Marquette Midwest Seminar in Ancient and Medieval Philosophy
For more information, visit the seminar website or contact Owen Goldin.

Grad Student Peer Workshop
Usually meets every other Friday, 3:30pm-4:30pm. For more information, contact Emily Lange.