Perry Zurn on Curiosity and Power: The Politics of Inquiry
A conversation with Perry Zurn, who teaches in the Department of Philosophy at American University in Washington, D.C., about his book Curiosity and Power: The Politics of Inquiry, published in 2021 by University of Minnesota Press.
John Drabinski hosts this conversation with Perry Zurn, who teaches in the Department of Philosophy at American University in Washington, D.C. In addition to dozens of articles on key figures and issues in the European philosophical tradition, Perry has edited three volumes: with Andrew Dilts, Active Intolerance: Michel Foucault, the Prisons Information Group, and the Future of Abolition, published by Palgrave in 2016; with Arjun Shankar, Curiosity Studies: A New Ecology of Knowledge, with University of Minnesota Press in 2020; and Intolerable: Writings from Michel Foucault and the Prisons Information Group, 1970-1980, which included translation work and was published by University of Minnesota Press in 2021. He has co-authored Curious Minds: The Power of Connection with Dani S. Bassett, published by MIT Press in 2022 and single authored Curiosity and Power: The Politics of Inquiry, published by University of Minnesota Press in 2021, which is the occasion for our conversation today. In this discussion, we explore the intellectual roots of the project, the relation between curiosity, self-making, and politics, as well as the place of curiosity in thinking about the future of philosophy and politics.