The Imaginary Institution of society: collective creativity

The Imaginary Institution of society: collective creativity

By Assistant Professor Anders Michelsen University of Copenhagen

The talk will present the French philosopher Cornelius Castoriadis's (1922-1997) philosophy of the imaginary institution of society, developed from the late 1960s to his death. Castoriadis's thought is relevant to current debates on creativity and imagination, not least with regard to the increasing interest in the creative society, collective creativity, experience economy, the creative class etc.

Castoriadis's thought treats a number of issues in relation to the creative imagination, spanning from critical theory, post Marxism and post structuralism to self-organization, complexity and cognitive science. The talk will indicate some of the issues and potential, in particular with regard to what may be termed his notion of a 'strong' ontological imagination and his concept of self-creation.

Anders Michelsen is assistant professor and coordinator of visual culture studies at the Department of Arts and Cultural Studies, University of Copenhagen since 2002. His research-topics and interests lie within the interdisciplinary field emerging from contemporary art and culture, design and technology, history and globalization, especially as related to visual culture, design, computer media, and creative imaginaries.