Principles of Uncertainty

An Interdisciplinary Conference on Critical Theory

CUNY Graduate Center

Comparative Literature Department

May 4th, 2012

Critical Theory is frequently utilized as a means of explicating a given text. However, the employment of Critical Theory rarely leads the reader to a complete understanding of a text, but instead often serves to illuminate the inherent uncertainty of a work. A text is filled with discrepancies, inconsistencies, and omissions that no reader or theoretical model can completely unravel because uncertainty will always pervade the work. This inherent uncertainty provides the springboard for the interpretative frameworks provided by Critical Theory, but because Critical Theory yields multiple interpretations, the end result is more uncertainty. Uncertainty is therefore both the beginning and the end of Critical Theory. This conference seeks to examine the symbiotic relationship that exists between Critical Theory and uncertainty, as each exploits and perpetuates the other indefinitely.

Conference Organizers:

Luisanna Sardu

Yelizaveta Shapiro

Claire Sommers

Jeffrey Chih-Yu Twu

This conference is co-sponsored by:

The Writer’s Institute at the City University of New York Graduate Center: an un-MFA program devoted to bringing together the country’s most talented writers and today’s most celebrated editors.

The Doctoral Students’ Council: the sole policymaking body representing students in doctoral and master’s programs at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York.

For more information, please contact: uncertaintyconference2012@gmail.com

Website: Jonathan Liebembuk