When we talk about genealogy, are we condemned to family romance? There are two main ways of representing oneself in kinship: identifying with our ancestors or imagining that we have invented ourselves. This talk will discuss possible ways to bypass this alternative and think about filiation and inheritance without the pitfalls of the genealogical paradigm. The author will present his theoretical work on how to finish with genealogy, and his recent autobiographical novel, The Children of Cadillac. Through the story of three generations, marked by love and betrayal of France, the questions of self-construction and family memory will be addressed.

François Noudelmann is Professor of French Literature, Thought, and Culture at New York University where he runs La Maison Française. He was director of the Collège International de Philosophie between 2001 and 2004, and a radio producer at France Culture for eleven years. He has written several books on literature, philosophy and music, translated into a dozen of languages, including Pour en finir avec la généalogie (Léo Scheer, 2004), Hors de moi (Léo Scheer, 2006) The Philosopher’s Touch (Columbia Press, 2012), Les Airs de famille, une philosophie des affinités (Gallimard, 2012), Penser avec les oreilles (Max Milo, 2019), Un Tout Autre Sartre (Gallimard 2020), Les Enfants de Cadillac (Gallimard 2021).

Sponsors

MIT Global Languages, French+ Initiative

Global France Seminar Spring 2022 series

02/28/22. 5pm. Camille Robcis (Columbia University)
03/29/22. 2pm. Christy Pichichero (George Mason University)
04/11/22. 5pm. François Noudelmann (New York University), April 11, 5pm.
04/25/22. 5pm. Adi Bharat (University of Michigan, Ann Arbor),
05/02/22. 5pm. Jean Casimir (University of Haiti)