Konferenz der Wahlverwandtschaften

“Equality is a principle that no school of thought that sees itself as emancipated may disregard”, writes Marcus Steinweg. But how can we understand such a project today, considering that the concept of equality is increasingly being used to promote a decision-free culture that levels everything down to one.

Do we find ourselves in a situation of undecided thought and action? In an era of “post-political consensus” (Slavoj Žižek) in which the alternatives offered to us are not real alternatives and in which our options are meaningless? In a trap of “post-modern politeness” (Nicolas Bourriaud) that, due to the well-meaning willingness to recognise the other, refuses all critical judgement? But then how can we approach the other, what criteria can we take to make decisions?

The “Conference of Elective Affinities” is the theoretical exaggeration of this year’s theme of the steirischer herbst festival “All The Same – What is valid if everything is valid?”. We want to foster a culture of diversity by independently answering questions of equality and validity, of standards and options in individual lectures. At the same time, however, it is also a matter of commitment and affirmation: for every guest is invited to speak by the previous speaker – as an expression of perceived closeness, a search for contact, for elective affinity. An act of hospitality: The person inviting explains the reasons for his invitation, thus introducing the person s/he has invited. The invited person is a good guest and, in his/her talk, reacts to the previous speaker, picking up and then passing on the baton of discussion, of thought.

The resulting chain of lectures is thus a playful, but very serious attempt to conceive our modern societies once again as a culture of difference – and, at the same time, to formulate clear-cut criteria for our own choices.

Kuratorin / Kurator: Anke Schleper
Mitwirkende / Mitwirkender: Krassimira Kruschkova
Mitwirkende / Mitwirkender: Catherine Malabou
Mitwirkende / Mitwirkender: Marcus Steinweg
Mitwirkende / Mitwirkender: Bernhard Waldenfels
Mitwirkende / Mitwirkender: Alexander Garcia Düttmann
Mitwirkende / Mitwirkender: Wolfgang Eßbach
Mitwirkende / Mitwirkender: Michael Hanger
Mitwirkende / Mitwirkender: deufert&plischke
Kuratorin / Kurator: Florian Malzacher