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Liturgy-Icon-Idol-Number: A Byzantine passage from Art to Arithmetic

Liturgy-Icon-Idol-Number: A Byzantine passage from Art to Arithmetic

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Liturgy-Icon-Idol-Number: A Byzantine passage from Art to Arithmetic
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<strong>Centre of German Studies School of Language, Literature &amp; Culture Studies</strong> <strong>JNU Philosophy Colloquium</strong> a lecture by <strong>Soumyabrata Choudhury</strong> School of Arts and Aesthetics, JNU, New Delhi on <strong>Liturgy-Icon-Idol-Number: A Byzantine passage from Art to Arithmetic</strong> Based on Marie-Jose Mondzain's path breaking work on a Byzantine controversy on iconophilia, iconoclasm and idolatry from the 8th Century A. D, the paper will argue that while the two features of an icon, countability and repeatability, correspond to the idea of number, it is the function of the void that makes the encounter between icon and number really interesting. The paper will compare and differentiate the Pauline notion of kenosis (emptying out) and Frege's concept of number with specific reference to the zero. The investigation will extend to the set-theoretic role of the empty set in defining number. Given these attempts, the paper will examine some aesthetic and political consequences in our times around representation and the anxiety around being counted-as-one, i.e., around identity. The argument will be oriented to displacing this anxiety towards intensity more difficult to name around the emergence of a subject woven from a void-material. Chair : <strong>Saitya Brata Das </strong> Centre for English Studies, JNU, New Delhi Date :<strong> 4th February 2014</strong>

A warm welcome to the modified and updated website of the Centre for East Asian Studies. The East Asian region has been at the forefront of several path-breaking changes since 1970s beginning with the redefining the development architecture with its State-led development model besides emerging as a major region in the global politics and a key hub of the sophisticated technologies. The Centre is one of the thirteen Centres of the School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi that provides a holistic understanding of the region.

Initially, established as a Centre for Chinese and Japanese Studies, it subsequently grew to include Korean Studies as well. At present there are eight faculty members in the Centre. Several distinguished faculty who have now retired include the late Prof. Gargi Dutt, Prof. P.A.N. Murthy, Prof. G.P. Deshpande, Dr. Nranarayan Das, Prof. R.R. Krishnan and Prof. K.V. Kesavan. Besides, Dr. Madhu Bhalla served at the Centre in Chinese Studies Programme during 1994-2006. In addition, Ms. Kamlesh Jain and Dr. M. M. Kunju served the Centre as the Documentation Officers in Chinese and Japanese Studies respectively.

The academic curriculum covers both modern and contemporary facets of East Asia as each scholar specializes in an area of his/her interest in the region. The integrated course involves two semesters of classes at the M. Phil programme and a dissertation for the M. Phil and a thesis for Ph. D programme respectively. The central objective is to impart an interdisciplinary knowledge and understanding of history, foreign policy, government and politics, society and culture and political economy of the respective areas. Students can explore new and emerging themes such as East Asian regionalism, the evolving East Asian Community, the rise of China, resurgence of Japan and the prospects for reunification of the Korean peninsula. Additionally, the Centre lays great emphasis on the building of language skills. The background of scholars includes mostly from the social science disciplines; History, Political Science, Economics, Sociology, International Relations and language.

Several students of the centre have been recipients of prestigious research fellowships awarded by Japan Foundation, Mombusho (Ministry of Education, Government of Japan), Saburo Okita Memorial Fellowship, Nippon Foundation, Korea Foundation, Nehru Memorial Fellowship, and Fellowship from the Chinese and Taiwanese Governments. Besides, students from Japan receive fellowship from the Indian Council of Cultural Relations.