The Critical Theory Workshop/Atelier de Théorie Critique is an international platform for transdisciplinary, cross-cultural and committed research in the arts, humanities and social sciences. Originally founded in 2008 by Gabriel Rockhill as a dual-language intensive summer research program at the Sorbonne and then the École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales in central Paris, the Workshop has grown over the years to include additional activities.

You will find here an outline of the 2019 summer program in Paris (as well as an application for prospective participants), testimonials from past participants in the summer workshop, information about our 2019 spring symposium in Philadelphia, an archive of past programs, a video gallery of recorded events, information about our book series, responses to frequently asked questions, and much more. A description of the summer program can be found below, and a flyer is available here.

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Founding Director Gabriel Rockhill, “Radicalizing Critical Theory,” June 11, 2018 (in English):

DESCRIPTION OF THE CTW/ATC SUMMER PROGRAM
The summer workshop is an intensive research program that takes place in Paris, France. Its primary objective is to provide an international forum for transdisciplinary and comparative work in critical theory in the broadest sense of the term. Participants are exposed to the work of contemporary thinkers and engage with current debates in the Francophone world and beyond. Special attention is paid to traditions of radical thought that have often been suppressed or sidelined in the academy, including Marxism, anarchism, anti-colonial theory, materialist feminism and radical ecological thought.

The Workshop, which takes place at the EHESS in central Paris and does not follow the
traditional structure of a course, is comprised of three interlocking components:

• Débats: invited speakers debate a common theme or current research projects.
• Rencontres: intellectuals are invited to participate in public interviews regarding their work to date and their current projects.
• Groupes de travail: the participants present their own research projects and workshop them with other participants.

The overall objective is to bring together a diverse panoply of thinkers in order to cultivate productive debates around work in progress and topical concerns for theory and practice today.

Although these activities are oriented toward a graduate level of education, anyone with the requisite background is welcome to apply. Participants come from around the globe and often include very advanced undergraduates, graduate students, postdocs, faculty, autodidacts, artists, writers and independent researchers.

The primary language of discussion is English, but some of the activities take place in French with English summary translations that are projected on a screen. Therefore, it is beneficial, although not required, that applicants have a working knowledge of the French language.

Founder and Executive Director
Gabriel Rockhill

Associate Director
Jennifer Ponce de León

Program Coordinator
Rosa Dolet

Videographer and Media Manager
Hank Hurst

Photographer
Hannah Hurst

International Advisory Board
María del Rosario Acosta
Amy Allen
Seloua Luste Boulbina
Esteban Buch
Pierre-Antoine Chardel
Geneviève Fraisse
Bruno Karsenti
Jan Spurk
Patrick Vauday

Primary Partner Institution in Paris
Centre Edgar Morin / Institut interdisciplinaire d’anthropologie du contemporain (CNRS / EHESS)

Partner Institutions
LASCO IdeaLab de l’IMT
Balkan Society for Theory and Practice

Sponsors
Andrew Baird

Partner Journal
ASAP/Journal: the official journal of the Association for the Study of the Arts of the Present

Location
École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales, 105 boulevard Raspail, 75006 Paris

Lodging
Participants are welcome to make their own arrangements or reserve a room at the Cité internationale universitaire de Paris (approximately $900). In the past, most participants have succeeded in finding reasonably priced apartments via Airbnb.

Program Fees
There is a sliding scale based on one’s financial situation that varies each year, and reduced fees in cases of clear economic need

Dates
First 3 weeks of July (precise dates vary year to year)