Crisis Ordinariness: Lauren Berlant’s Cruel Optimism in a Transnational Frame

Presented by the Centre for Studies of Gender and Sexuality at Ashoka University and the Center for the Study of Gender and Sexuality at NYU. Co-sponsored by the Asian/Pacific/American Institute at NYU.

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“A relation of cruel optimism exists when something you desire is actually an obstacle to your flourishing,” writes feminist/queer scholar Lauren Berlant in the opening of their groundbreaking book Cruel Optimism (Duke University Press, 2011). On the tenth anniversary of its publication, and in the wake of Berlant’s untimely passing, this panel invites scholars from India, Hong Kong, the US, and the UK to reflect on the meaning and relevance of “cruel optimism” in a transnational frame. Berlant incisively analyzes the exhaustion of life under late capitalism within liberal democracies, and the toxic effects of “good life fantasies” within the context of precarity that marks the present moment. How do Berlant’s trenchant critiques of psychic attachments in the context of the ordinariness of crisis resonate today both within and beyond the borders of the US and Europe, in light of the devastations wrought by the multiple and converging crises of climate catastrophe, global pandemics, unfettered capitalism, and the entrenchment of authoritarian regimes?

Featuring Brinda Bose, María Josefina Saldaña-Portillo, and Alvin Wong. Moderated by Gayatri Gopinath.

Accessibility note: This event will be hosted virtually on Zoom. A Zoom account, internet access, and a smartphone or computer is required. CART captioning services will be provided. Please contact csgs@nyu.edu with any questions or access needs.