Byung-Chul Han 2
This is a Korean a Korean name; name ; the family the family name is name is Han.
Works
Byung-Chul Han , also spelled Pyŏng-ch'ŏl Han, (born
In Fatigue Society (original German title: Die Müdigkeits1959 1959 in Seoul Seoul)) i s a South Kor Korean ean author, cultural theorist, gesellschaft gesellschaft ), ), Han chara charact cteri erize zess today today’s ’s socie society ty as a and professor at the Universität the Universität der Künste Berlin (UdK) Berlin (UdK) pathol pathologi ogical cal lands landsca cape pe of neuro neuronal nal disord disorder erss such such in Berlin in Berlin.. as depression, depression, attention defic deficit it hyperac hyperactivity tivity disorder disorder,, borderline and burnout burnout.. He clai claims ms that that they they are are not “infections” but “infarcts”, which are not caused by the negativity of negativity of people’s immunology, but by an excess of positivity..[4] positivity Agonie Agonie des Eros Eros (Agony of the Eros) carries Byung-
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Chul Han’s thoughts, thoughts, whi which ch he develo developed ped in his earlier books Fatigue Society (German: Die Müdigkeitsgesellschaft ) and Transparency Society (German: Trans parenzgesellscha parenzgesellschaft ft ), ), forward and directs attention to one anothe anotherr on the relat relatio ions nship hip of humans humans,, on desi desire re and love love.. Based on an illuminating analysis of the characters in Lars von Trier’s movie Melancholia, in which Han sees depression and overcoming depicted, he develops – in his usual discursive manner – the image of a society that is increasingly dominated by narcissism and self-reference. Han’s diagnosis extends even to the point that he calls the loss of desire, the disappearance of the ability to devote to “the other”, the stranger, stranger, the non-self. non-self. We revolve around ourselves, cramp us in ourselves, unable to build relationship relationships. s. Even love and sexuality sexuality are permeated by this social change: sex and pornography, exhibiexhibition and presentation are displacing love, eroticism and desire from the public eye. The abundance of positivity and self-re self-refe feren rence ce leads leads to a loss of confront confrontatio ation. n. ThinkThinking, Han states, is based on the “untreaded”, on the desire for for something that one does not yet understand. It is connected to a high degree with Eros, so the “Agony of the Eros” is also an “Agony of Thought”. Thought”. Not everything must be understood and “liked”, not everything must be made available.
Lif Life and and work work
Byung-Chul Han studied metallurgy studied metallurgy in in Korea before he moved to Germany in the 1980s to study Philosophy, German Literature and Literature and Catholic Catholic theology in theology in Freiburg Freiburg im Breisgau and Breisgau and Munich Munich.. He received received his doctoral degree at Freib Freiburg urgwi with th a disse disserta rtatio tionn on Martin Heide Heidegger gger in 1994. 1994. In 2000, he joined the Department of Philosophy at the University of Basel, Basel, where he completed his Habilitation. In 2010 2010 he beca became me a facul aculty ty memb member er at the the HfG Karlsruhe,, wher Karlsruhe wheree his areas of inter interes estt were were phi philos losoophy of the 18th, 19th and 20th century, ethics ethics,, social philosophy,, phenomenology philosophy phenomenology,, cultural theory, theory , aesthetics aesthetics,, religion,, media theo religion theory ry,, and and intercultural philosoph philosophyy. Since 2012 he teaches teaches philosophy philosophy and and cultural cultural studies at studies at the Uni Univers versität ität der Küns Künste te Berl Berlin in (UdK), (UdK), where where he directs directs the newly established Studium Generale general-studies program.[1]
Han is the author of sixteen books, of which the most recent are treatises on what he terms a “society of tiredness” (Müdigkeitsgesellschaft ), a “society of transparency” parency” (Transparenzgesellschaft ), ), and on his neologist his neologist concept of shanzai , which seeks to identify modes of ( Topology ogy of Violence), Violence), Byungdeconstruction in contempo contemporary rary practice practicess of Chinese Chinese In Topologie der Gewalt (Topol Chul Han continues his alarming analysis of a society on capitalism. the edge of collapse that he started with ›MüdigkeitsgeHan’s current work focuses on transparency on transparency as as a cultural sellschaft‹ (Fatigue Society). Focusing on the relation benorm created by neoliberal by neoliberal market market forces, which he un- tween violence tween violence and and individuality, he shows, that albeit the derstands as the insatiable insatiable drive toward voluntary disclo- widespread thesis about its disappearance, violence has sure bordering on the pornographic. According to Han, only changed its form of appearance and operates more the dictates of transparency transparency enforce a totalitarian system subtly. The martial form of violence gives way to a more of openness at the expense expense of other social values such as anonymous, desubjectified, systemic one, that does not shame, secrecy, secrecy, and trust. [2] reveal itself, as it is merging with its antagonist – freeUntil recently, recently, he refused refused to give radio and television television in- dom. Through Through Sigmund Sigmund Freud, Freud, Walter Benjamin, Benjamin , Carl terviews and rarely divulges any biographical or personal Schmitt Schmitt,, Richard Sennett, Sennett , René Girard, Girard, Giorgio Agamdetails, including including his date of birth, in public. public. [3] ben,, Deleuze ben Deleuze/Guattari /Guattari,, Michel Foucault, Foucault , Michel Serres, Serres , 1
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Pierre Bourdieu and Martin Heidegger, Han approaches his own concept of violence, that finds to work in free individuality. Driven by the only demand to persevere and not to fail, as well as by the ambition of efficiency, we become committers and sacrificers at the same time and get into a swirl of demarcation, selfexploitation and collapse. Han’s lucid study of violence offers plenty unorthodox thoughts and is not afraid of critical scrutinizing common in modern society concepts of freedom, individuality and self-fulfillment, bringing to light their shady sides.
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Müdigkeitsgesellschaft Matthes & Seitz, Berlin
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Han has written on topics such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, borderline, burnout, depression, exhaustion, internet, love, pop culture, power, rationality, religion, social media, subjectivity, tiredness, transparency and violence.
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Reception
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Müdigkeitsgesellschaft will soon be available in 11
languages.[5] Several Korean newspapers voted it to be the most important book in 2012. [6]
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Selected Works •
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Heideggers Herz. Zum Begriff der Stimmung bei Martin Heidegger . Wilhelm Fink, Paderborn 1999.
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Todesarten. Philosophische Untersuchungen zum Tod . Wilhelm Fink, Paderborn 1999.
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Martin Heidegger . UTB, Stuttgart 1999.
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Tod und Alterität . Wilhelm Fink, Paderborn 2002.
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Philosophie des Zen-Buddhismus. Reclam, Stuttgart
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Shanzhai - Dekonstruktion auf Chinesisch. Topologie der Gewalt. Matthes & Seitz, Berlin 2011,
ISBN 978-3-88221-495-6. •
Was ist Macht. Reclam, Stuttgart 2005.
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Korean edition: . Moonji, 2009, ISBN 9788976823335.
Hyperkulturalität:
Kultur und Globalisierung.
Merve, Berlin 2005. •
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Hegel und die Macht. Ein Versuch über die Freundlichkeit . Wilhelm Fink, Paderborn 2005. Gute Unterhaltung. Eine Dekonstruktion der abendländischen Passionsgeschichte. Verlag Vorw-
erk 8, Berlin 2007. •
Abwesen: Zur Kultur und Philosophie des Fernen Ostens. Merve, Berlin 2007.
Brazilian edition: in progress, Vozes. Danish edition: Træthedssamfundet . Møller, 2012, ISBN 9788799404377. Dutch edition: De vermoeide samenleving. van gennep, 2012, ISBN 9789461640710. English edition: in progress, Stanford UP. French edition: La Société de la fatigue , édition circé, 2014, ISBN 978-2842423568.[7] Greek edition: in progress, Editions Opera. Italian edition: La società della stanchezza . nottetempo, 2012, ISBN 978-88-7452-345-0. Korean edition: . Moonji, 2011, ISBN 9788932023960. Macedonian edition: in progress, Tabahon. Portuguese edition: in progress, Relógio D'Água Editores. Romanian edition: in progress, Humanitas. Spanish edition: La sociedad del cansancio . Barcelona, Herder Editorial, 2012, ISBN 97884-254-2868-5. Swedish edition: Trötthetssamhället . Ersatz, 2013, ISBN 978-91-87219-62-7. Taiwanese edition: in progress, Locus. Turkish edition: in progress, Pinar Yayinlari.
Merve, Berlin 2011, ISBN 978-3-88396-294-8.
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Korean edition: . Moonji, 2010, ISBN 9788932023960.
2010, ISBN 978-3-88221-616-5.
Themes
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Duft der Zeit: Ein philosophischer Essay zur Kunst des Verweilens. Transkript 2009. •
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SELECTED WORKS
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Korean edition: in progress, Moonji. Turkish edition: in progress, Metis.
Transparenzgesellschaft. Matthes & Seitz, Berlin
2012, ISBN 978-3-88221-595-3. •
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Dutch edition: De transparente samenleving . van gennep, 2012, ISBN 9789461641892. English edition: in progress, Stanford UP. Greek edition: in progress, Editions Opera. Italien edition: in progress, nottetempo. Korean edition: """", Moonji, 2014, ISBN 9788932026114. Portuguese edition: in progress, Relógio D'Água Editores.
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Romanian edition: in progress, Humanitas.
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Russian edition: in progress, Logos.
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Spanish edition: La sociedad de la transparencia. Barcelona, Herder Editorial, 2013, ISBN 9788425432521.
Agonie des Eros. Matthes & Seitz, Berlin 2012,
ISBN 978-3-88221-973-9. •
Dutch edition: in progress, van gennep.
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French edition: in progress, Autrement.
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Italian edition: Eros in agonia . nottetempo, 2013, ISBN 9788874524235. Korean edition: in progress, Moonji. Portuguese edition: D'Água Editores.
in progress, Relógio
Romanian edition: Agonia erosului , Humanitas, ISBN 978-973-50-4326-1, EPUB/PDF ISBN 978-973-50-4466-4. Spanish edition: La agonía del Eros . Barcelona, Herder Editorial, 2014. ISBN 978-84-254-3254-5.
Bitte Augen schließen. Auf der Suche nach einer anderen Zeit. Matthes & Seitz Berlin 2013 ebook,
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References
[1] “Studium Generale”. [2] “Klarheit schaffen”. der Freitag. 2012-06-07. Retrieved 2012-06-09. [3] “Play more and work less: A visit with Byung-Chul Han in Karlsruhe”. Sign and Sight . 2011-07-25. Retrieved 2012-06-09. [4] "‘ ’ 1 ‘’". . 2012-11-29. [5] “Translations”. [6] “Korea’s Most Important Books 2012”. [7] (French)Byung-Chul Han - La Société de la fatigue, Traduction de l'allemand par Julie Stroz on editions-circe.fr
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External links •
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ISBN 978-3-88221-064-4. • •
Digitale Rationalität und das Ende des kommunikativen Handelns . Matthes & Seitz Berlin 2013, ISBN
978-3-88221-066-8. • •
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Italian edition: Razionalità Digitale. La fine dell'agire comunicativo. GoWare edizioni, 2014, ISBN 978-88-6797-145-9
Im Schwarm. Ansichten des Digitalen. Matthes &
Seitz Berlin 2013, ISBN 978-3-88221-037-8. •
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French edition: in progress, Actes Sud.
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Italian edition: in progress, nottetempo.
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Spanish edition: En el enjambre . Barcelona, Herder Editorial, 2014, ISBN 978-84-2543368-9.
Swedish edition: I svärmen. Tankar om det digitala . Stockholm, Ersatz, 2014. ISBN97891-87219-76-4.
Psychopolitik: Neoliberalismus und die neuen Machttechniken (Essay Collection). S. Fischer Verlag
Frankfurt 2014 ISBN 978-3100022035. •
Spanish edition: Psicopolítica. Barcelona, Herder Editorial, 2014, ISBN 978-84-2543368-9.
Literature by and about Byung-Chul Han in the German National Library catalogue Byung-Chul Han’s web page at the Staatliche Hochschule für Gestaltung, Karlsruhe http://www.udk-berlin.de/sites/content/themen/ universitaet/studium_generale/ Byung-Chul Han, Essay on the ethics of drones: http://www.matthes-seitz-berlin.de/artikel/ byung-chul-han-die-ethik-des-drohnenkriegs.html Interview with Byung-Chul Han in the Sueddeutsche Zeitung: http://sz-magazin.sueddeutsche. de/texte/anzeigen/39059
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TEXT AND IMAGE SOURCES, CONTRIBUTORS, AND LICENSES
Text and image sources, contributors, and licenses
8.1 •
Text Byung-Chul Han Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Byung-Chul%20Han?oldid=647928082 Contributors: Gabbe, BD2412, Bgwhite,
Nikkimaria, David Ludwig, Not Sure, Galadrien, Mycomp, Calusarul, SchreiberBike, Addbot, DSisyphBot, ZéroBot, Betweenfloors, Hedian, Tony3512, BG19bot, CityOfSilver, Mogism, Arev Schneider, EMBViki, Gazophylacium, EmanuM, Db9023, Sophia-ka, Khw0302, Al-Juarismi, GAdrev and Anonymous: 14
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Images
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