A look back at the concept of necropolitics

Achille Mbembe is Professor in History and Politics at the Wits Institute for Social and Economic Research at the University of the Witswatersrand in South Africa. He is the Director General of the French Fondation de l'innovation pour la démocratie. His research has focused on the colonial and postcolonial representation of African societies, on the violence of domination and oppression on the African continent. He notably authored On the Postcolony (2001), Critique of Black Reason (2017) and Brutalism (2024).

Chair: Magali Bessone, Université de Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne

Magali Bessone is a professor of political philosophy at the University Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne and a member of the Institut Universitaire de France. Her research focuses on contemporary theories of justice, reparations, and critical theories of race and racism. Her recent publications include Faire justice de l'irréparable (2019), W.E.B. Du Bois: double conscience et condition raciale (2021) co-written with Matthieu Renault, and a Lexique des réparations de l'esclavage (2021) co-edited with Myriam Cottias.