Carlos Ramírez-Arenas | Syracuse University (original) (raw)

Thesis Chapters by Carlos Ramírez-Arenas

Papers by Carlos Ramírez-Arenas

Political Theology, 2023

This article interprets Martin Heidegger’s Being and Time with two objectives. First, it argues t... more This article interprets Martin Heidegger’s Being and Time with two objectives. First, it argues that, for Heidegger, temporality and affectivity implicate each other and that this coupling might be read as a critique of abstract modern notions of time. Second, it claims that the affectivity and temporality that characterize the ideal of “authentic existence” in Being and Time correspond to a white Protestant ideal of subjectivity. While the article looks to highlight the usefulness of Heidegger’s comprehension of temporality/affectivity, it also warns the reader against upholding “authenticity” as a neutral ideal of liberated existence. Ultimately, the article delineates the religious and racial genealogy that, affectively and temporally, characterizes “authenticity.” By articulating the Protestant eschatological experience that undergirds this model of subjectivity and the racialized connotations of “transparency,” the article re-interprets “authenticity” as an ascetic ideal defined by an unending pursuit of becoming-transparent via the re-appropriation of oneself and the world.

El siguiente artículo reflexiona sobre la responsabilidad que tenemos actualmente los pensadores ... more El siguiente artículo reflexiona sobre la responsabilidad que tenemos actualmente los pensadores y científicos sociales en la tarea de construcción y crítica de la memoria histórica. El artículo toma como marco teórico las reflexiones de Jacques Derrida en torno al ‘fantasma’ y a su comprensión de la justicia como una forma de responsabilidad que va más allá de las formas de justicia presentes en el derecho. Además, toma las labores, reclamos y prácticas de la Asociación de Familiares de Víctimas de Trujillo (AFAVIT) como un ejemplo actual de cómo la memoria de los fantasmas es la memoria que posibilita esta otra forma de justicia.

Book Reviews by Carlos Ramírez-Arenas

Kairos: A Journal of Critical Symposium, Sep 14, 2021

Vol. 6 No. 1 (2021): Book Forum: Decolonizing Theory ISSN 2581-7361

Conference Presentations by Carlos Ramírez-Arenas

Critical Theory and Discourses on Religion Unit - AAR 2021, 2021

During the early days of the current pandemic, in March of 2020, the Texas Lieutenant Governor, D... more During the early days of the current pandemic, in March of 2020, the Texas Lieutenant Governor, Dan Patrick, affirmed on Fox News that he was willing to sacrifice his life for the preservation of the “America” and was hopeful that others would follow his choice. This paper argues that what is terrifying in Patrick’s statements is that they reveal that sacrifice is not just something that we ask of certain workers or that is needed in times of crisis, but that it is essential to the normal functioning of capitalism. In other words, Patrick’s statements are terrifying because they reveal explicitly the mythical core of capitalism. This paper claims that this sacrificial logic is a fundamental aspect of what Walter Benjamin calls the permanent cult of the capitalist religion. Using works of Karl Marx and Michel Foucault, the paper argues that one of the specific operations by which life becomes sacrificial in capitalist societies is through the subjection of the time of life to the time of production. Finally, the paper analyzes portrayals of different types of workers as “heroic” or “essential,” revealing thus not just their “courage,” but the fact that they’re set to be sacrificed.

Political Theology, 2023

This article interprets Martin Heidegger’s Being and Time with two objectives. First, it argues t... more This article interprets Martin Heidegger’s Being and Time with two objectives. First, it argues that, for Heidegger, temporality and affectivity implicate each other and that this coupling might be read as a critique of abstract modern notions of time. Second, it claims that the affectivity and temporality that characterize the ideal of “authentic existence” in Being and Time correspond to a white Protestant ideal of subjectivity. While the article looks to highlight the usefulness of Heidegger’s comprehension of temporality/affectivity, it also warns the reader against upholding “authenticity” as a neutral ideal of liberated existence. Ultimately, the article delineates the religious and racial genealogy that, affectively and temporally, characterizes “authenticity.” By articulating the Protestant eschatological experience that undergirds this model of subjectivity and the racialized connotations of “transparency,” the article re-interprets “authenticity” as an ascetic ideal defined by an unending pursuit of becoming-transparent via the re-appropriation of oneself and the world.

El siguiente artículo reflexiona sobre la responsabilidad que tenemos actualmente los pensadores ... more El siguiente artículo reflexiona sobre la responsabilidad que tenemos actualmente los pensadores y científicos sociales en la tarea de construcción y crítica de la memoria histórica. El artículo toma como marco teórico las reflexiones de Jacques Derrida en torno al ‘fantasma’ y a su comprensión de la justicia como una forma de responsabilidad que va más allá de las formas de justicia presentes en el derecho. Además, toma las labores, reclamos y prácticas de la Asociación de Familiares de Víctimas de Trujillo (AFAVIT) como un ejemplo actual de cómo la memoria de los fantasmas es la memoria que posibilita esta otra forma de justicia.

Kairos: A Journal of Critical Symposium, Sep 14, 2021

Vol. 6 No. 1 (2021): Book Forum: Decolonizing Theory ISSN 2581-7361

Critical Theory and Discourses on Religion Unit - AAR 2021, 2021

During the early days of the current pandemic, in March of 2020, the Texas Lieutenant Governor, D... more During the early days of the current pandemic, in March of 2020, the Texas Lieutenant Governor, Dan Patrick, affirmed on Fox News that he was willing to sacrifice his life for the preservation of the “America” and was hopeful that others would follow his choice. This paper argues that what is terrifying in Patrick’s statements is that they reveal that sacrifice is not just something that we ask of certain workers or that is needed in times of crisis, but that it is essential to the normal functioning of capitalism. In other words, Patrick’s statements are terrifying because they reveal explicitly the mythical core of capitalism. This paper claims that this sacrificial logic is a fundamental aspect of what Walter Benjamin calls the permanent cult of the capitalist religion. Using works of Karl Marx and Michel Foucault, the paper argues that one of the specific operations by which life becomes sacrificial in capitalist societies is through the subjection of the time of life to the time of production. Finally, the paper analyzes portrayals of different types of workers as “heroic” or “essential,” revealing thus not just their “courage,” but the fact that they’re set to be sacrificed.