From Fetish of Progress to Livable Life - Philosopher Alice Koubová in Bucharest
Schedule
Mon, 27 Oct, 2025 at 07:30 pm
UTC+02:00Location
Centrul Ceh (Czech Centre Bucharest) | Bucharest, BU
💬 We invite you to a discussion with Alice Koubova and Oana Șerban, exploring how the aesthetics and politics of resilience intersect with questions of creativity, ethical responsibility, and the biopolitical challenges of contemporary societies.🌍 In a time when the pursuit of progress and productivity often overshadows the question of what makes life genuinely livable, Alice Koubova invites us to rethink the very foundations of modern existence. A philosopher and interdisciplinary researcher, based at the Institute of Philosophy of the Czech Academy of Sciences and lecturer at the Theatre Faculty of the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague, Koubova bridges theory and artistic practice to explore how concepts such as resilience, ethical culture, and performativity can shape both individual and collective life. Her lecture, From Fetish of Progress to Livable Life, traces the modern paradox whereby the promise of “doing better” and “having more” has led to exhaustion and loss—psychologically, socially, and politically. Drawing from psychology, ecology, and political theory, Koubova proposes a reorientation from the ideology of progress toward forms of resilience that foster care, connection, and the conditions for a truly livable life.
🌀 This autumn, Alice Koubova will take part in a series of public discussions in Brașov, Bucharest, and Iași, engaging with Romanian scholars and audiences in conversations about the cultural, political, and ethical implications of resilience in our time.
🎓 In Bucharest, Alice will discuss with Oana Șerban, Professor of Philosophy at the University of Bucharest, where she teaches Modern Philosophy, Aesthetics, Biopolitics and Cultural Studies, and serves as Executive Director of the Research Center for the History of Philosophical Ideas (CCIIF). Her recent books include Cultural Capital and Creative Communication (Routledge, 2023), After Thomas Kuhn. The Structure of Aesthetic Revolutions (De Gruyter, 2022), and Artistic Capitalism (Paralela 45, 2016; Cartea Românească Educațional, 2025). Her research explores the biopolitical potential of modern art, the aestheticization of violence, and post-Holocaust memory and forgiveness. She has translated authors such as Michel Foucault, Gilles Lipovetsky, Sylvain Tesson and Jean d’Ormesson, and currently directs a project on Biopolitical Art in the Post-Holocaust Time, with forthcoming studies at Edinburgh and SUNY Press.
🤝 The event is organized by the Czech Centre Bucharest and the Faculty of Philosophy (University of Bucharest), with the support of the Embassy of the Czech Republic. The participation is free and discussion will be held in English.
Where is it happening?
Centrul Ceh (Czech Centre Bucharest), Strada Ion Ghica 11, 030045 București, România, Bucharest, Romania
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