Contradicting Contradiction. Knowledge Production and the Pluriversal Turn

Dr. Deborah Nyangulu (RTG Contradiction Studies)

01/23/2024 2:30 pm 4:00 pm

U Bremen GRA 2 0030 & online

In my presentation I will draw on different examples to show how contradiction is a plural noun and a polysemous word. I will argue that rejecting the pluralism of contradiction functions (i) as a strategy gatekeep knowledge and (ii) as a means by those who desire dominance to enforce conformity. I will conclude by showing the implications of my argument on knowledge production at a time when decolonial thininkers, notably from the Latin American school of thought, are using the concept of the pluriverse to explore the co-existence of multiple worlds and realities.

Back to overview
hierarchy of norms

“If social contradictions are reflected in law, law cannot form a hierarchy of norms free of contradictions.”

Andreas Fischer-Lescano
interstice

“The contradiction of law in Derrida lies in the interstice that separates the impossibility of deconstructing justice from the possibility of deconstructing law.”

Andreas Fischer-Lescano
problem to be solved

“Contradiction is not primarily a problem to be solved but a motor we cannot do without.”

Martin Nonhoff
driver

“Contradictions are an important driver of scientific practice and knowledge.”

Norman Sieroka
city

“The city is a laboratory not only of modernity, but also of contradiction.”

Julia Lossau