Bio
Patrick Baert is Professor of Social Theory at the University of Cambridge. He has published mainly in the areas of social and political theory and the sociology of intellectuals. Amongst his publications are The Dark Side of Podemos? Carl Schmitt and Contemporary Progressive Populism (with J Booth, Routledge 2018); The Sociology of Intellectuals (with S Susen, Palgrave 2017); The Existentialist Moment; The Rise of Sartre as a Public Intellectual (Polity Press 2015); Conflict in the Academy; A Study in the Sociology of Intellectuals (with M Morgan, Palgrave 2015); Social Theory in the Twentieth Century and Beyond (with F Carreira da Silva, Polity Press 2010) and Philosophy of the Social Sciences: Towards Pragmatism (Polity Press 2005).
Abstract
In this talk, Patrick Baert will introduce his distinctive theoretical contribution to the study of intellectual history. Through various case studies, he will demonstrate the usefulness of positioning theory for analysing intellectual and political interventions. He will also elaborate on the role of taboos in the political realm.