Jesse Cohn
Encyclopedia
Jesse Sheppard Cohn is an academic and author of the work Anarchism and the Crisis of Representation. Cohn earned his bachelor's degree
in English literature
from Earlham College
in 1994 before going on to earn an M.A.
and Phd
from Binghamton University
in 1996 and 1999 respectively. After six years on the faculty of Purdue University North Central
, he was promoted to associate professor of English in 2006. Cohn's Science Fiction and Fantasy class was the impetus for the establishment of the "Simulated Selves, Virtual Worlds" film festival
.
His work Anarchism and the Crisis of Representation: Hermeneutics, Aesthetics, Politics is a challenge to conventional interpretations of anarchism
which investigates the notion of "representation", questioning the legitimacy of some individuals speaking for others. Cohn is a noted critic of postanarchism, as the author of the influential article "What is 'Postanarchism' Post?", a critical review of Saul Newman
's From Bakunin to Lacan
, as well as the co-author with Shawn P. Wilbur of "What’s Wrong With Postanarchism?" (Theory and Culture). Besides Wilbur, Cohn has collaborated with scholars of anarchism such as Todd May
, Lewis Call
and Robert Graham
, and has been published in journals including Anarchist Studies
, Fifth Estate
, Radical Philosophy
and Postmodern Culture
.
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
in English literature
English literature
English literature is the literature written in the English language, including literature composed in English by writers not necessarily from England; for example, Robert Burns was Scottish, James Joyce was Irish, Joseph Conrad was Polish, Dylan Thomas was Welsh, Edgar Allan Poe was American, J....
from Earlham College
Earlham College
Earlham College is a liberal arts college in Richmond, Indiana. It was founded in 1847 by Quakers and has approximately 1,200 students.The president is John David Dawson...
in 1994 before going on to earn an M.A.
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
and Phd
PHD
PHD may refer to:*Ph.D., a doctorate of philosophy*Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*PHD finger, a protein sequence*PHD Mountain Software, an outdoor clothing and equipment company*PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
from Binghamton University
Binghamton University
Binghamton University, also formally called State University of New York at Binghamton, , is a public research university in the State of New York. The University is one of the four university centers in the State University of New York system...
in 1996 and 1999 respectively. After six years on the faculty of Purdue University North Central
Purdue University North Central
Purdue University North Central is a regional campus within the Purdue University system that is located in rural LaPorte County near Westville in northwestern Indiana.-Academics:...
, he was promoted to associate professor of English in 2006. Cohn's Science Fiction and Fantasy class was the impetus for the establishment of the "Simulated Selves, Virtual Worlds" film festival
Film festival
A film festival is an organised, extended presentation of films in one or more movie theaters or screening venues, usually in a single locality. More and more often film festivals show part of their films to the public by adding outdoor movie screenings...
.
His work Anarchism and the Crisis of Representation: Hermeneutics, Aesthetics, Politics is a challenge to conventional interpretations of anarchism
Anarchism
Anarchism is generally defined as the political philosophy which holds the state to be undesirable, unnecessary, and harmful, or alternatively as opposing authority in the conduct of human relations...
which investigates the notion of "representation", questioning the legitimacy of some individuals speaking for others. Cohn is a noted critic of postanarchism, as the author of the influential article "What is 'Postanarchism' Post?", a critical review of Saul Newman
Saul Newman
Saul Newman is a political theorist and central post-anarchist thinker.Newman coined the term "post-anarchism" as a general term for political philosophies filtering 19th century anarchism through a post-structuralist lens, and later popularized it through his 2001 book From Bakunin to Lacan...
's From Bakunin to Lacan
From Bakunin to Lacan
From Bakunin to Lacan: Anti-Authoritarianism and the Dislocation of Power is a book on political philosophy by Saul Newman, published in 2001. It investigates the essentialist characteristics of anarchist theory, which holds that government and hierarchy are undesirable forms of social organisation...
, as well as the co-author with Shawn P. Wilbur of "What’s Wrong With Postanarchism?" (Theory and Culture). Besides Wilbur, Cohn has collaborated with scholars of anarchism such as Todd May
Todd May
Todd May is a political philosopher notable for his role in developing, alongside Saul Newman and Lewis Call, the theory of post-structuralist anarchism. He is currently Class of 1941 Memorial Professor of Philosophy at Clemson University and contributes to CounterPunch...
, Lewis Call
Lewis Call
Lewis Call is an American academic notable for being a central post-anarchist thinker. He is best known for his 2002 book Postmodern Anarchism, which develops an account of postmodern anarchism through philosophers such as Friedrich Nietzsche and cyberpunk writers such as William Gibson and Bruce...
and Robert Graham
Robert Graham (historian)
Robert Graham is a Canadian anarchist historian and writer. He is the editor of Anarchism: A Documentary History of Libertarian Ideas, a three-volume collection of anarchist writings from ancient China to the present day. Volume One, subtitled "From Anarchy to Anarchism", covers the period from...
, and has been published in journals including Anarchist Studies
Anarchist Studies
Anarchist Studies is a biannual academic journal on anarchism. It takes an interdisciplinary approach, examining the history, culture, and theory of anarchism...
, Fifth Estate
Fifth Estate
Fifth Estate is a US periodical, originally based in Detroit, Michigan, but now produced in a variety of locations. Its editorial collective shares divergent views on the topics the magazine addresses but generally shares an anti-authoritarian outlook and a non-dogmatic, action-oriented approach...
, Radical Philosophy
Radical Philosophy
Radical Philosophy is a British academic journal of critical theory and continental philosophy, appearing six times a year. It was established in 1972 with the purpose of providing a forum for the theoretical work which was emerging in the wake of the radical movements of the 1960s, in philosophy...
and Postmodern Culture
Postmodern Culture
Postmodern Culture is an electronic academic journal established in 1990. It is the result of an early experiment in electronic content delivery via the Internet. The journal publishes commentary and criticism on a wide range of concerns including literary theory, politics, and contemporary society...
.
Selected publications
- "The End of Communication? The End of Representation?" Fifth EstateFifth EstateFifth Estate is a US periodical, originally based in Detroit, Michigan, but now produced in a variety of locations. Its editorial collective shares divergent views on the topics the magazine addresses but generally shares an anti-authoritarian outlook and a non-dogmatic, action-oriented approach...
376 (October 2007): 40-42. - "Breaking the Frame: Anarchist Comics and Visual Culture." Belphégor: Littérature Populaire et Culture Médiatique 6.2 (June 2007).
- "What Is Anarchist Literary Theory?" Anarchist StudiesAnarchist StudiesAnarchist Studies is a biannual academic journal on anarchism. It takes an interdisciplinary approach, examining the history, culture, and theory of anarchism...
15.2 (2007): 115-131. - Review of Robert M. Philmus, Visions and Re-Visions: (Re)constructing Science Fiction. Utopian StudiesUtopian StudiesUtopian Studies is a peer-reviewed academic journal that publishes articles on utopias and utopianism. The journal is published twice a year by the Penn State University Press on behalf of the Society for Utopian Studies.- External links :**...
18.1 (2007): 105-10. - "Imaginary Anarchisms." Review of Benedict Anderson, Under Three Flags: Anarchism and the Anti-Colonial Imagination. Radical PhilosophyRadical PhilosophyRadical Philosophy is a British academic journal of critical theory and continental philosophy, appearing six times a year. It was established in 1972 with the purpose of providing a forum for the theoretical work which was emerging in the wake of the radical movements of the 1960s, in philosophy...
143 (May/June 2007): 59-60. - "Anarchism and Essentialism." Anarchism: A Documentary History, Vol. 2: The Anarchist Current (1939-2006). Robert GrahamRobert Graham (historian)Robert Graham is a Canadian anarchist historian and writer. He is the editor of Anarchism: A Documentary History of Libertarian Ideas, a three-volume collection of anarchist writings from ancient China to the present day. Volume One, subtitled "From Anarchy to Anarchism", covers the period from...
ed. Montréal: Black Rose Books, 2007. - Anarchism and the Crisis of Representation: Hermeneutics, Aesthetics, Politics. Selinsgrove, PA: Susquehanna University Press, 2006.
- "Essentialism." Women and Society Encyclopedic Dictionary. January 22, 2004.
- Review of A Brighter Morn: The Shelley Circle’s Utopian Project, ed. Darby Lewes. Utopian Studies 15.1 (2004): 131-133.
- With Shawn P. Wilbur: "What’s Wrong With Postanarchism?" Theory and Politics (August 31, 2003).
- "Anarchism, Representation, and Culture." Culture and the State, Vol. 4: Alternative Interventions. James Gifford and Gabrielle Zezulka-Mailloux eds. (Edmonton, Canada: CRC Humanities Studio, 2003): 54-63. [Republished in NeMe, January 15, 2006.]
- "What is 'Postanarchism' Post?" Review of Saul Newman, From Bakunin to Lacan: Anti-Authoritarianism and the Dislocation of Power." Postmodern CulturePostmodern CulturePostmodern Culture is an electronic academic journal established in 1990. It is the result of an early experiment in electronic content delivery via the Internet. The journal publishes commentary and criticism on a wide range of concerns including literary theory, politics, and contemporary society...
13.1 (Sept. 2002). - "Jane Smiley." Contemporary American Women Fiction Writers: An A-to-Z Guide. Rhonda Austin and Laurie Champion eds. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood, 2002. 338-343.
- "Believing in the Disease: Virologies and Memetics as Models of Power Relations in Contemporary Science Fiction." Culture Machine 3 (March 26, 2001).
- "American Nihilism in American Beauty." The Ampersand (June 2001).
- "William Blake’s ‘The Mental Traveller.'" The Explicator 58.3 (Spring 2000): 130-133.
- "An Exemplary Failure: Pat Murphy’s The City, Not Long After and the dilemmas of anarchist utopian fiction." Anarchist Studies 7.2 (1999): 119-125.
- With Lewis CallLewis CallLewis Call is an American academic notable for being a central post-anarchist thinker. He is best known for his 2002 book Postmodern Anarchism, which develops an account of postmodern anarchism through philosophers such as Friedrich Nietzsche and cyberpunk writers such as William Gibson and Bruce...
, Karén Karapetyan, Todd MayTodd MayTodd May is a political philosopher notable for his role in developing, alongside Saul Newman and Lewis Call, the theory of post-structuralist anarchism. He is currently Class of 1941 Memorial Professor of Philosophy at Clemson University and contributes to CounterPunch...
, Stevphen Shukaitis, and Simon Tormey: "Nietzsche ve Anarşizm Soruşturması [trans. of 'Some Remarks on Nietzsche and Anarchism']." Siyahî 2.7 (Spring 2006): 8-25.
External links
- Scholar For Hire: Jesse Cohn's Web Pages
- Dr. Jesse Cohn faculty profile from Purdue North Central
- Bibliography at R.A. Forum