Reading revolutions through the prism of a concept of history that is not teleological or unilinear but is instead structured as a pluriverse of historical temporalities, this talk shows how different temporalities and semantic stratification of revolution are reactivated in historical revolutionary moments. From this perspective, the ancient notions of revolution and restoration are not erased but coexist as temporal stratifications. Tomba’s analysis is articulated through historical cases, from the German peasant war of 1525 to the Water War in Bolivia in 2000.

Massimiliano Tomba is the author of Krise und Kritik bei Bruno Bauer: Kategorien des Politischen im nachhegelschen Denken (2005); La vera politica: Kant e Benjamin: la possibilità della giustizia (2006); Marx’s Temporalities (2013); Attraverso la piccolo porta: Quattro studi su Walter Benjamin (Mimesis, 2017); Insurgent Universality: An Alternative Legacy of Modernity (2019).

The Center for Cultural Studies hosts a weekly Wednesday colloquium featuring work by faculty and visitors. We gather at 12:00 PM, with presentations beginning at 12:15 PM.

For Winter 2022, the colloquium will take a hybrid format, in which some events are fully remote and others have the option of in-person attendance. Attendees have the option to attend in person in Humanities 210 or to watch the presentation on zoom. Those who attend in person must adhere to the campus mask mandate for all indoor activities and must complete UCSC’s symptom-check form before coming to campus. In person attendees are asked to please arrive at 12pm so that the event coordinators can verify the symptom check has been completed. To attend remotely via zoom, please RSVP in advance, and you will receive a zoom link on the morning of the colloquium. In most cases, speakers will appear remotely so that they will not have to present wearing a mask. To RSVP for the full Winter colloquium series, please use this form. If you have any questions about the colloquium, please contact Piper Milton (cult@ucsc.edu).

Staff assistance is provided by The Humanities Institute.