Special guest co-host Lindsey Whitmore (Rutgers) joins Rachel and John to talk about Lauren Berlant’s 2011 book Cruel Optimism. Join us as we traverse this notably title-colon-less text in queer theory and cultural studies (among other fields). We start by asking what is cruel about cruel optimism and how it is related to attachment and […]

Ep. 27 – Lauren Berlant, Cruel Optimism

Tune in to the Always Already Podcast for indulgent conversations about critical theory (in the broadest read of the term!). Our podcast consists of two episode streams. The first is a discussion of texts spanning critical theory, political theory, social theory, and philosophy. We work through and analyze main ideas, underlying assumptions, connections with other texts and theories, and occasionally delve into the great abyss of free association, ad hoc theory jokes, and makeshift puns. The second stream, entitled Epistemic Unruliness, consists of interviews and discussions with activists, artists, and academics whose “disobedient” work builds upon the themes of that arise in the texts we discuss and in our ongoing podcast conversations.  

In the first stream we also entertain the questions of friends and strangers and dole out slapdash advice about everything from massaging a head of Brooklyn kale to sweet talking a nebechy philosopher and dealing with the vagaries of academic life. We also put on our Freud-Klein-Lacan-Irigaray hats as we provide dream analysis to (always already anonymized) listener dreams.

Be a part by sending us text suggestions, interview ideas, advice questions to answer, and dreams to analyze. 

The Always Already Podcast is created by B Aultman, Rachel Brown, Emily Crandall, John McMahon, and James Padilioni, Jr. 
The text discussion episodes also entertain the questions of friends and strangers as we dole out slapdash advice to audience queries on everything from how to massage a head of Brooklyn kale to how to sweet talk a nebechy philosopher to how to deal with the vagaries of academic life. We also put on our Freud-Klein-Lacan hats as we provide dream analysis to (always already anonymized) listener dreams.

Tune in, and send us text suggestions, interview ideas, advice questions to answer, and dreams to analyze. 

The Always Already Podcast is created by B Aultman, Rachel Brown, Emily Crandall, John McMahon, and James Padilioni, Jr.

Society & Culture

Philosophy

Tune in to the Always Already Podcast for indulgent conversations about critical theory (in the broadest read of the term!). Our podcast consists of two episode streams. The first is a discussion of texts spanning critical theory, political theory, social theory, and philosophy. We work through and analyze main ideas, underlying assumptions, connections with other texts and theories, and occasionally delve into the great abyss of free association, ad hoc theory jokes, and makeshift puns. The second stream, entitled Epistemic Unruliness, consists of interviews and discussions with activists, artists, and academics whose “disobedient” work builds upon the themes of that arise in the texts we discuss and in our ongoing podcast conversations. In the first stream we also entertain the questions of friends and strangers and dole out slapdash advice about everything from massaging a head of Brooklyn kale to sweet talking a nebechy philosopher and dealing with the vagaries of academic life. We also put on our Freud-Klein-Lacan-Irigaray hats as we provide dream analysis to (always already anonymized) listener dreams. Be a part by sending us text suggestions, interview ideas, advice questions to answer, and dreams to analyze. The Always Already Podcast is created by B Aultman, Rachel Brown, Emily Crandall, John McMahon, and James Padilioni, Jr. The text discussion episodes also entertain the questions of friends and strangers as we dole out slapdash advice to audience queries on everything from how to massage a head of Brooklyn kale to how to sweet talk a nebechy philosopher to how to deal with the vagaries of academic life. We also put on our Freud-Klein-Lacan hats as we provide dream analysis to (always already anonymized) listener dreams. Tune in, and send us text suggestions, interview ideas, advice questions to answer, and dreams to analyze. The Always Already Podcast is created by B Aultman, Rachel Brown, Emily Crandall, John McMahon, and James Padilioni, Jr.

Tune in to the Always Already Podcast for indulgent conversations about critical theory (in the broadest read of the term!). Our podcast consists of two episode streams. The first is a discussion of texts spanning critical theory, political theory, social theory, and philosophy. We work through and analyze main ideas, underlying assumptions, connections with other texts and theories, and occasionally delve into the great abyss of free association, ad hoc theory jokes, and makeshift puns. The second stream, entitled Epistemic Unruliness, consists of interviews and discussions with activists, artists, and academics whose “disobedient” work builds upon the themes of that arise in the texts we discuss and in our ongoing podcast conversations.  

In the first stream we also entertain the questions of friends and strangers and dole out slapdash advice about everything from massaging a head of Brooklyn kale to sweet talking a nebechy philosopher and dealing with the vagaries of academic life. We also put on our Freud-Klein-Lacan-Irigaray hats as we provide dream analysis to (always already anonymized) listener dreams.

Be a part by sending us text suggestions, interview ideas, advice questions to answer, and dreams to analyze. 

The Always Already Podcast is created by B Aultman, Rachel Brown, Emily Crandall, John McMahon, and James Padilioni, Jr. 
The text discussion episodes also entertain the questions of friends and strangers as we dole out slapdash advice to audience queries on everything from how to massage a head of Brooklyn kale to how to sweet talk a nebechy philosopher to how to deal with the vagaries of academic life. We also put on our Freud-Klein-Lacan hats as we provide dream analysis to (always already anonymized) listener dreams.

Tune in, and send us text suggestions, interview ideas, advice questions to answer, and dreams to analyze. 

The Always Already Podcast is created by B Aultman, Rachel Brown, Emily Crandall, John McMahon, and James Padilioni, Jr.

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Ep. 27 – Lauren Berlant, Cruel Optimism

Ep. 27 – Lauren Berlant, Cruel Optimism

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