Application deadline: June 30, 2023
e-flux is pleased to announce a new seminar led by Boris Groys. “Theories of Symbolic Exchange” is co-produced by e-flux and the School of Communication at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Brazil. The six-month course will be conducted in English and will meet virtually twice monthly, from September 2023 to February 2024, at 10am New York / 11am Rio.
“Theories of Symbolic Exchange” takes its starting point as Marcel Mauss’ seminal 1923 essay “The Gift,” in which Mauss developed the concept of an alternative type of economy not driven by the market. This economy is based on non-monetary exchange of such symbolic values as social recognition, sovereignty, and political participation. Today, this concept of the non-monetary exchange has acquired new relevance, especially in relation to the economy of the internet. Groys’ course examines various theories of symbolic exchange that expand the original Maussian model and encompass the multiple aspects of culture and communication, from Georges Bataille, Roger Caillois, and Mikhail Bakhtin to Jean Baudrillard and Jacques Derrida.
Those wishing to attend the seminar should apply by sending a one-paragraph statement of interest to school [at] e-flux.com by June 30. Selected applicants will be notified around mid-August. All participants will receive a certificate from the Federal University’s Graduate Program in Communication and Culture. The seminar is free of charge, and there will be no written assignments or exams, though engaged participation in discussion is highly desired.
Boris Groys is a philosopher, essayist, art critic, media theorist, and an internationally renowned expert on Soviet-era art and literature, especially the Russian avant-garde. His scholarship focuses on art and aesthetics as a means of thinking through politics and philosophy. The author of numerous books and essays, he is Global Distinguished Professor in the Faculty of Arts and Science at New York University and Professor of Aesthetics, Art History, and Media Theory at the Center for Art and Media Technology at Karlsruhe University of Arts and Design.