What's Happening?
Joan Copjec's latest book, 'Cloud: Between Paris and Tehran – Kiarostami / Corbin / Lacan,' is noted for its distinctive approach that defies prevailing academic trends. According to Cassandra Guan's review in Critical Inquiry, Copjec's 'modus operandi'
involves bringing academic debates to a halt and re-evaluating them. The book, her third, delves into the cinema of Abbas Kiarostami through the perspectives of Islamic philosophy and Lacanian psychoanalysis in four of its seven essays. The remaining three essays, described as 'poetic non sequiturs' or 'pillow shots,' explore themes of anxiety, shame, and their connection to sexuality. Copjec's work requires extensive knowledge of various philosophers and thinkers, including Sigmund Freud, Avicenna, Ibn 'Arabi, Gottfried Wilhelm Leibnitz, and Walter Benjamin, as it navigates complex discussions involving figures like Henry Corbin, Christian Jambet, Steven Wasserstrom, and Ayatollah Khomeini.
Why It's Important?
Copjec's work is significant for its resolute antidisciplinary nature within the contemporary academic publishing landscape. By challenging established academic fashions and engaging with deep philosophical and psychoanalytical concepts, 'Cloud' offers a unique perspective on film theory and cultural studies. Her critique of nominalism, which views reality solely through what can be seen and measured, suggests a broader intellectual movement to restore a dimension of thought that modernity has often overlooked. This approach could influence future academic discourse by encouraging more interdisciplinary studies and a deeper engagement with complex theoretical frameworks, potentially shifting how film and philosophy are analyzed in academic settings. The book's focus on the 'esoteric dimension of being' as a political force against techno-capitalist rationality highlights its relevance to contemporary societal critiques.
What's Next?
The publication of 'Cloud' is likely to spark further academic discussion and debate, particularly among scholars in film studies, philosophy, and psychoanalysis. Its challenging nature and demand for extensive prior knowledge may lead to specialized seminars or courses dedicated to understanding Copjec's arguments and their implications. The book's Gnostic message, suggesting a need to awaken to embodiment to abandon 'suicidal goals' in the age of AI, could also resonate with broader intellectual circles concerned with the impact of technology on human existence. Future reviews and scholarly articles will likely explore the connections Copjec draws between Kiarostami's cinema, Islamic philosophy, and Lacanian theory, potentially leading to new interpretations of these fields.
Beyond the Headlines
Copjec's consistent project, spanning decades, reveals a deeper commitment to challenging intellectual orthodoxies. Her earlier work, which critiqued 1970s film theory for misinterpreting Jacques Lacan, demonstrates a long-standing dedication to theoretical precision and a refusal to conform to prevailing academic trends. 'Cloud' continues this tradition by advocating for an 'inexistent interiority' that resists political or theological colonization, suggesting a profound ethical and philosophical stance. The book's engagement with the 1979 Iranian revolution and its call for a 'new Islamic cinema' also highlights the intricate relationship between art, politics, and cultural identity. This exploration of the 'invisible' and 'nonknowledge' as crucial elements of reality offers a powerful counter-narrative to purely empirical or rationalist approaches, potentially influencing how we perceive and interpret complex cultural phenomena.
