Wendy Brown

Brown, a professor at UC Berkeley, a brilliant writer and mentor/advisor to my own advisor at GWU, Libby Anker, produces work I admire greatly, and utilizes a method similar to what I'd like to make my own: that is, eschewing disciplines as such in order to create formulations that combine, rather than constrict, politics, critical theory, psychoanalysis, Marxism, intellectual history, gender studies (feminist studies/queer studies), and, in this lecture especially, transnational history, globalization, and the study of built structures. She is, as should be clear already just given her lengthy list of interests, amazing.

Here is a link to her lecture, "Why do people want walls?" when, she adds, "walls don't actually do anything". Her views of the division currently taking place between the nation-state and the concept of sovereignty is clear, concise, and yet still surprising. Her ideas expose themselves like small diamonds, clear, sharp - as though they're something you already know, or should already know, but don't yet, and then there it is: she shows you just what you should've known before. Really quite incredible.

I'm listening to this as I post it, simply because I'm so excited to make sure that others see how incredibly Brown's mind functions. Perhaps I'll post again with a response, or with more exciting things.

The lecture comes from a site I'm interested in exploring further, but - as I said - I am too excited by Brown's words to do anything but post this lecture immediately.

Enjoy.