Despite his relative marginalization in the theoretical humanities, the work of Ivan Illich has returned to the scene in the wake of interest from Giorgio Agamben as well as the reedition of his works by Humberto Beck and Javier Sicilia. This panel is interested in looking at the untimeliness of Illich’s reflections, summed up in the motto “the corruption of the better is the worst,” which reflects on how modernity’s emancipatory impulse has turned destructive —what he refers to, when discussing medicine, as iatrogenesis. On the one hand, Illich’s stark criticisms of modern institutions such as schooling, medicine, motorized transportation, and economic growth could be read as nostalgic, if not reactionary, rejections of the modern world. On the other hand, they can also be understood as a rejection of the “governmental prejudice” as defined by thinkers such as Catherine Malabou and the French collectives Tiqqun and Invisible Committee, who reject the notion that human life must be organized and administered hierarchically.

In addition to the unruly character of Illich’s contributions, this seminar reflects on the tension that arises when, through many instances in his work, he presents setting “limits” on modernity’s destructive tendencies as the task of politics. This opens the question of whether human life can remain nongovernable (Malabou) even if those limits are democratically imposed. This panel welcomes papers that engage with Illich’s work through positions marginal to it, such as gender, the author’s relation to Latin America and “underdevelopment,” and degrowth, as well as projects that situate his thought in literary and cultural production.