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Forms of Living

Edited by Stefanos Geroulanos, New York University, and Todd E. Meyers, New York University-Shanghai
In the introduction to Knowledge of Life, Georges Canguilhem writes that knowledge and life do not assume a hierarchical order, one preceding or constituting the other. Instead, Canguilhem argues that knowledge and life come to rest upon one another, even in moments when one seems to unmake or undo the other. Life is imbued with thought, entangled with it, and in the end, undiminished by it. Life–its subjects, forms, peoples, and geographies (both real and imagined, and regardless of scale)–can no longer (if ever) be thought of as singular.
In the tightly woven lattice of knowledge and life is found a common conceptual space for anthropology, history, biology, philosophy, art, and medicine. The Forms of Living series seeks to provide an outlet for theoretically and methodologically rigorous writing theorized and articulated through various disciplines, frames, and attempts. Thus the series promotes translations of important works in languages other than English, organizes edited volumes serving as introductions to scholars not well known to Anglo-American audiences, and delivers original and provocative writing from renowned scholars as well as first-time authors. By connecting works that may not otherwise be read alongside one another, Forms of Living eavesdrops on conversations already occurring between scholars, and begins new conversations on what is at stake between knowledge and life and the forms each takes.