2026
Internal meetings
03.04.26. Discussion of manuscript on Aristotle by Hallvard Fossheim.
23.02.26. Discussion of Judith Hermann, Wir hätten uns alles gesagt.
13.01.26. Discussion of St. Augustin, Confessions, chapter 4 + letters on Friendship
2025
Internal meetings
18.11.25. Discussion of Émile Benveniste, Le vocabulaire des institutions indo-européennes Dictionaire (exerpts: Phílos & l'hospitalité )
21.10.25. Discussion of Deleuze & Guattari, What is Philosophy + correspondence (Deleuze and Dionys Mascolo).
18.08.25. Discussion of Søren Kierkegaard, excerpts from Kierlighedens Gierninger og Enten-Eller.
13.05.25. Discussion of Édouard Louis, Changer: méthode / Forandre seg. Metode.
01.04.25. Discussion of Diane Jeske, Friendship and Social Media: A Philosophical Explanation.
24.02.25. Screening and discussion of Dag Johan Haugerud, Lyset fra sjokoladefabrikken.
12.01.25. Discussion of Henrik Ibsen, Kejser & Galilæer, part 2.
Seminar
The Relevance of Friendship. Literary and philosophical approaches to friendship
- Time: 12.13.2025.
- Place: CUNP - Maison des sciences de l'homme, 54, boulevard Raspail 75006 Paris
On the first day of the seminar, we will discuss how literary individualism is combined with high esteem of friendship. This is certainly a tendency in contemporary European literature, which seems to respond to a development in late capitalism characterized by liquid social bonds. We will discuss individualism and friendship in contemporary literature, as well as in a longer historical perspective.
On the second day, we will have an open discussion about various approaches to friendship, based on the research interests of the participants.
2024
Internal meetings
29.11.24. Discussion of Henrik Ibsen, Kejser & Galilæer, part 1.
28.10.24. Discussion of Lucian, Toxaris
30.09.24. Discussion: Immanuel Kant on friendship (2)
18.03.24. Discussion: Immanuel Kant on friendship (1)
19.02.24. Discussion: Thomas Bernhard, Wittgensteins Neffe / Wittgenstein's nephew
Full-day seminar
Scientific, Philosophical and Literary Approaches to Friendship
Time: 14.08.24
Presentation:
- Kl. 10.00-1030. Mats Haraldsen: Expert thinking: Literature as apprenticeship
- Kl. 1030-11.00. Hallvard Fossheim: Inverse Inverse Reinforcement Learning? Dialog and Community with artificial intelligence
- Kl. 11.15. Reading group: Sigrid Nunez: The Friend, Riverhead Books, 2018.
- Introduction by Marie-Elisabeth Pihl.
- Kl.12.15. Lunch
- Kl.14.15- 16. Open lecture at The Seminar of Aesthetics, Aud 2, Georg Sverdrups Hus: Claus Emmeche: The uses of literature in friendship research: a semiotic approach
- Kl.16.15. – 16.45 Georg Sverdrups hus, Undervisningsrom 1
- Christian Refsum: On Aesthetical friendship: Ali Smith's Autumn
- Kl. 16.45 – 17.00. Discussion
2023
Internal meetings
- 02.12.23. Workshop with Alexandre de Vitry (Sorbonne, Paris) about ongoing research.
- 01.12.23. Open lecture with Alexandre de Vitry (Sorbonne, Paris) at the Seminar of Aesthetics: “Fraternity”, “brotherhood”: what can literature tell us about the history of a social concept?
- 29.11.23 Workshop with Stephen Asma (Columbia College Chicago): Friendship and Intimacy in the Digital Age: An Optimistic Perspective. (Cooperation with LCE – Literature, Cognition and Emotions)
- 14.11.23. Discussion of Gorkij + publication plans (book project).
- 11.10.23. Discussion of Vivian Gornick, The Odd Woman and the City
- 12. 09.23. Discussion of «The Comrade» in Walt Whitman's Calamus-poems + publication plans (book project).
- 16.08.23. Discussion of Patricia Lockwood, No one is talking about this
- 16.06.23. Discussion of Anni Ernaux, Mémoire de fille
- 25.04.23. 27.03.23. Discussion of Jan Assmann, «Freundschaft, Feindschaft und Gemeinschaft im Alten Ägypten»
- 09.01.23. Discussion of Sigbjørn Obstfelder, «Venner» and «Jeg ser»
2022
Reading group
- 03.12.2022. Discussion. Cicero
- 10.11.2022. Frederik Tygstrup: Om "Kunsten som forum" + diskusjon om Édouard Glissant
- 10.10.2022. Discussion. Sherry Turkle: Reclaiming Conversation
- 18.09.2022. Ali Smith, Autumn
- 19.09.2022. Discussion. Maurice Blanchot: L'Amitié
- 24.03.2022. Discussion. Nietzsche
- 11.02.2022. Discussion. Emerson
- 21.01.2022. Discussion. Nussbaum
Seminar: Vennskapets politikk
Time: 9. desember 2022
Program
- 9.15 - 9.45 Velkommen og presentasjon av deltakerne (kort om forskningsinteresser)
- 9.45 - 10.45 Christian Janss: Introduksjon til Jan Assmanns analyse av vennskap i eldre egyptisk kultur
- Pause
- 11-12 Iver B. Neumann: Vennskap mellom stater
- 12-13 Lunsj
- 13-14 Ingvild Folkvord: Felleskapsformasjoner i 22. juli-litteraturen
- Pause
- 14.15-15.15 Hallvard Fossheim: The Political Turn in Plato´s Charmides
- Pause
- 15.30-16.30 Tone Selboe: Kjærlighetsbrevet: Historikk og retorikk
Workshop: Vennskapets filosofi og litteratur
Time: 12.08.2022: Kl. 9.15 – 16.30
Program
- 9.15 - 9.45: Velkommen og presentasjon av deltakerne (kort om forskningsinteresser)
- 9.45 - 10.45: Camilla Schwartz: Friendship in a Time of Neoliberalism
- 11-12: Diskusjon. Bernard Stiegler, "Five Hundred Million Friends: The Pharmacology of Friendship" (2012)
- 12-13 Lunsj
- 13-14 Christian Refsum: Vennskapets politikk i den europeiske samtidsromanen: Elena Ferrante, Ali Smith, Virginie Despentes
- Pause
- 14.15-15.15. Christian Janss: Vennskap i Rainer Maria Rilke, Die Sonette an Orpheus, Sonett nr. XXIV (se vedlegg)
- Pause
- 15.30-16.30 Diskusjon. Sheila Heti, Pure Colours (2022)