Torture, Art, and the Political Imaginary

This course will investigate the distressing persistence of the phenomenon of torture from two perspectives. The first is a critical interrogation of the myth that torture is an effective means of gathering accurate information and the role that both the practice and myth of torture plays in the psychology and implementation of regimes of power, including the functional means by which it defines the political “other” as foreign, inferior, and, ultimately, what philosopher Judith Butler calls “ungrievable.” The second is the means by which the “political imaginary” associated with torture (both produced by and effective in its justification) has impacted, or found its trace within, aesthetic practice: from the history painting-sized tableaus of South American death squads by Leon Golub, to the Torture of Women series of images by Nancy Spero, to the depictions of Vietnam Era atrocities by Carolee Schneemann, to potential resonances of bodily abuse in the performance art of Gina Pane, Marina Abramovic, or Chris Burden, to the investigative practices of contemporary artist Trevor Paglan, and more. How might the imaginary of a “body in pain” (to borrow the title of literary theorist Elaine Scarry’s book) impact—whether directly or indirectly—the aesthetic engagement with, and depiction of, the body in other places, contexts, and social milieus? In order to prepare for research into this question, the course will examine a number of theoretical engagements with issues of power, discipline, and control; the ethics of describing or depicting bodily pain, torture, and death; and the notions of “bare” or “ungrievable” life. By nature of the topic, a number of the materials within this course will be unpleasant and potentially disturbing, and another issue of investigation will concern how to practice and produce ethical and sufficiently respectful academic discussions of issues that so adversely impact human lives.