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SUMMARY:The Rise of French Existentialism - Dr Patrick Baert - Reader in S
 ocial Theory\,Sociology Department\, Cambridge University
DTSTART:20091022T160000Z
DTEND:20091022T173000Z
UID:TALK19537@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Susannah Lacon
DESCRIPTION:This talk aims to provide a sociological explanation for the s
 udden rise to public prominence of French existentialism as an intellectua
 l movement in the 1940s. It will focus on Jean-Paul Sartre since he is\, t
 ogether with Simone de Beauvoir and Albert Camus\, widely regarded as one 
 of the main proponents of this philosophical and literary current\, and th
 e one who attained the highest and most durable public profile.\n\nExisten
 tialism is traditionally associated with the post-war era in Paris. But cl
 oser scrutiny shows that the popularity of this school\, and of the people
  associated with it\, rose dramatically in a remarkably short space of tim
 e\, between 1944 and 1947. Two questions\, therefore\, arise. Firstly\, wh
 y did this intellectual movement become so popular at this time\, especial
 ly given that its philosophical origins were distinctly German and were in
 debted to the work of Martin Heidegger who had been tainted by his closene
 ss to the Nazi regime during the 1930s? Secondly\, of the myriad intellect
 ual currents that had momentum at this time\, why was it existentialism th
 at became so popular\, particularly given the opacity of the writings with
 in this tradition and given that it had remarkably little following before
  1944?\n
LOCATION: Faculty of Education\, 184 Hills Road\, Cambridge\, CB2 8PQ
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