Rhuthmos

F. Mason, The Viscous : Slime, Stickiness, Fondling, Mixtures

2026-07-31T06:00:00Z

F. Mason, The Viscous : Slime, Stickiness, Fondling, Mixtures,‎ Punctum Books, 2020, 274 p.

Slime, goo, gunge, gloop, gels, sols, globules, jellies, emulsions, greases, soaps, syrups, glues, lubricants, liquid crystals, moulds, plasmas, and protoplasms – the viscous is not one thing, but rather a quality of resistance and flow, of stickiness and slipperiness. It is a state of matter that oozes into the gaps of our everyday existence, across age groups, between cultures and disciplines.Since the large-scale extraction of petroleum in the 19th century, the viscous has witnessed a proliferation in the variety of its forms. Mechanized industry required lubricants and oil distillation produced waste products that were refined to form Vaseline. From this age, new viscous forms and technologies emerged : products from plastic (and plastic explosives) to cosmetics, glycerine, asphalt, sexual lubrication, hydro- and aero-gels, and even anti-climb paint.Based on unique and wide-ranging research, The Viscous is the first major investigation of encounters with and possibilities of the viscous over the course of the last century, not simply as a material state, but also as an imaginative event. We enter into a story of matter at its most wayward, deviant, hesitant, and resistant.From asphalt lakes to industrial molasses tanks, from liquid crystals squirming in our screens to milk fetishes, The Viscous discloses gooeyness as a peculiarly modern phase of matter. « Everything oozes, » as Beckett's Estragon famously proclaims in Waiting for Godot. Viscous dynamics are exposed as not only hugely various in a post-industrial age, but particularly useful ways of thinking, feeling, writing, and making in a time of ecological anxiety.

Freddie Mason is a writer, researcher, and filmmaker living in London. He received his doctorate from the Royal College of art in 2019, on the history and futures of semi-states. Before The Viscous, he published Ada Kaleh (Little Island Press, 2016).

Mason develops a rheological perspective on viscosity as a contemporary material imagination, identifying key dynamics of viscous matter as they manifest across urban disasters, ecological philosophies, digital media, and colloidal technologies. By tracing these dynamics through material culture rather than reducing them to physical properties alone, Mason demonstrates how the viscous operates as a relational mode of contemporary imagination, rendering situated rhuthmoi of fluidity articulable through rheological vocabulary.

Johanna Kirschbauer, « Rhuthmoi of Fluidity:Rethinking Stability in Liquid Modernity », The Polish Journal of Aesthetics, 76-1, 2026, p. 312.

S. Chiffoleau, Une histoire du temps dans le monde arabe

2026-07-29T05:00:00Z

S. Chiffoleau, Une histoire du temps dans le monde arabe, Paris, CNRS Editions, 2026, 384 p. – EAN : 9782271159731

Les cultures, les religions et les hommes façonnent le temps, déterminent les heures et les calendriers. En retour, le temps informe et oriente le devenir des sociétés. Dans l'espace arabe, multiethnique et où l'islam coexiste avec d'autres communautés confessionnelles, l'histoire du temps a connu une trajectoire particulière, différente de celle de l'Europe. Mais contrairement à des stéréotypes répandus, les sociétés du monde arabe ne sont aucunement indifférentes au temps, elles savent au contraire se mouvoir dans la pluralité de ses expressions.

Embrassant la longue durée, cet ouvrage évoque leur contribution majeure à l'art de la mesure du temps. Il s'attache à rendre compte des rythmes sociaux qui ont orchestré la vie quotidienne des individus et des groupes, durant la période ottomane et dans les contextes coloniaux, jusqu'au moment où les processus de modernisation sont venus bouleverser le régime rythmique traditionnel.

Sylvia Chiffoleau, historienne, directrice de recherche CNRS au LARHRA de Lyon, est spécialiste des sociétés arabes depuis le XIX^e siècle.

V. Viehöver, Henri Meschonnic. Eine Denkbiografie

2026-07-09T05:00:00Z

V. Viehöver, Henri Meschonnic. Eine Denkbiografie, Berlin, Matthes & Seitz, 2025, 286 S. – ISBN : 978-3-7518-2070-7

Das vielgestaltige Werk des Sprachtheoretikers, Übersetzers und Dichters Henri Meschonnic (1932–2009) ist im deutschsprachigen Raum noch weitgehend unentdeckt. In dieser Denkbiografie stellt Vera Viehöver ihn vor und situiert sein Denken im Kontext der französischen Theoriegeschichte des 20. Jahrhunderts. Meschonnics »Poetik des Rhythmus« erweist sich dabei als eine lebenslange Praxis, die Sprache, Ethik und Politik als ein Kontinuum begreift und das im Strukturalismus suspendierte Subjekt als »Subjekt des Gedichts« rehabilitiert. Sein Selbstverständnis als Jude und sein erinnerungspolitisches Engagement werden ebenso beleuchtet wie die Korrespondenzen seiner Poetik mit anderen Künsten und die vielfältigen Beziehungen seines Werks zur deutschsprachigen Literatur, Sprachtheorie und Philosophie.

Vera Viehöver, 1969 geboren, studierte Germanistik, Romanistik und Philosophie in Aachen, Brüssel und Düsseldorf. Sie ist Professorin für Deutsche Literatur an der Université de Liège in Belgien und beschäftigt sich u. a. mit Theorie und Praxis der literarischen Übersetzung, mit Übersetzerinnen und Autorinnen im langen 18. Jahrhundert sowie mit Formen des autobiografischen Schreibens.

Leseprobe

Plato's Laws (Books III & IV) : Freedom, Collapse, and the Rhythms of Political Order

2026-07-01T05:00:00Z

Plato's Laws (Books III & IV) : Freedom, Collapse, and the Rhythms of Political Order, trans. Jason Kassel, Recursive Publishing, 2025, 118 p. – ISBN : ‎ 978-1968044695

What causes great cities to fall ? What rhythm must a lawgiver follow to build a state that will last ? In this poetic-structural translation of Plato's Laws, Books III and IV become a drama of memory, collapse, and political rebirth. Where Book I staged the war within the soul, and Book II examined education through rhythm and imitation, these books turn outward—to history, empire, and the fragile emergence of law.

Book III follows the Athenian stranger as he recounts the downfall of ancient regimes—from the mythical floods to the real-world failures of Sparta, Persia, and Athens itself. These are not just historical episodes, but ontological collapses : each regime forgets the rhythm that made it possible. Laws are no longer preambles ; they become reactionary weapons. The metaphor of the Oversailed Ship warns against regimes driven by appetite and untrained courage—states that cannot be steered when winds of freedom grow too strong.

Book IV opens a new possibility : the founding of a colony. Here, the Lawgiver must emerge—not as an authoritarian, but as one who tunes the new city's pulse in accord with both divine rhythm and human need. The city must be free, but also formable. The first laws are not restrictions but invitations : they begin with prayers, mythic memory, and persuasive rhythm.

This translation is not a paraphrase. It rebuilds Plato's dialogue using :

Short poetic lines
Capitalized conceptual metaphors (e.g., Lawgiver, Golden-Cord, Oversailed-Ship)
Rhythmic transitions between historical logic and philosophical creation
Structured movement from collapse to construction

Designed for students of political theory, literature, classics, education, and those seeking a lived philosophy of law, this edition brings Laws III–IV into the rhythm of now. It invites readers to walk beside the founders as they ask not “What rules should we write ?” but “What tone should law begin in ?”

Part of the Poetic Philosophy Presents series, this volume continues the mission of restoring ancient texts as structures of rhythm, soul, and offering—not as abstractions, but as lived forms of judgment.

Jason Kassel (PhD) writes classical philosophy and political thought for young readers, families, and thoughtful adults.

Plato's Laws (Books V & VI) : Freedom, Virtue, and the Rhythms of Political Soulcraft

2026-06-29T05:00:00Z

Plato's Laws (Books V & VI) : Freedom, Virtue, and the Rhythms of Political Soulcraft, trans. Jason Kassel, Recursive Publishing, 2025, 128 p. – ISBN : 978-1968044701

In Books V and VI of Plato's Laws, the dialogue shifts from broad philosophical inquiry to the precise formation of soul, city, and law. In this poetic-structural translation, Plato's vision of lawful freedom is rendered not as a list of rules, but as a rhythm—a balance of desire, memory, courage, and restraint, shaped across generations.

Book V begins with a declaration : soul is older and more divine than body or wealth. The Lawgiver must now guide a city whose citizens are in constant motion, pulled by pleasure, fear, ambition, and forgetfulness. The goal is not obedience, but virtue. Through a series of laws paired with preambles, Plato offers a new kind of education : one that speaks to the soul's rhythm, inviting alignment rather than submission. Laws on theft, violence, dishonor, drinking, and desire are preceded by poetic reasoning—meant to persuade, not only punish.

Book VI transitions from the personal to the civic. Plato's Athenian Stranger outlines the architecture of governance : the selection of magistrates, the sacred number 5040 for civic divisions, and the distribution of land and labor. Law, in this context, is no longer reactive. It is ontological design. Justice, property, and worship are all expressions of a single metaphysical truth : that harmony must be built into the very pattern of life.

This translation preserves Plato's metaphors—Golden-Cord, Soul-Rank, Preamble-Law, Geometric Constitution, and Lawgiver as Composer—while expressing them in a format that modern readers can feel and follow. Sentences are recast as short poetic lines. Concepts are capitalized and structurally arranged to trace Plato's internal logic.

Ideal for students of philosophy, law, politics, classical education, literature, or rhythm-based ethics, this volume invites readers into the lived structure of judgment. This is not law as statute—it is law as soul-training.

Part of the Poetic Philosophy Presents series, this edition reveals Plato's Laws not as an abstract system, but as a spiritual-political experiment—one that still speaks to the balance between freedom and form, soul and system, memory and creation.

Jason Kassel (PhD) writes classical philosophy and political thought for young readers, families, and thoughtful adults.

Ch. Strosetzki (Editor, Contributor), & 18 more, Harmony and Rhythm of the Universe : Interdisciplinary Explorations from 1500 to the Present

2026-06-27T05:00:00Z

Ch. Strosetzki (Editor, Contributor), & 18 more, Harmony and Rhythm of the Universe : Interdisciplinary Explorations from 1500 to the Present, Rochester, University of Rochester Press, 2026, 352 p. – ISBN :

An interdisciplinary journey through history, science, and art—exploring how harmony and rhythm have shaped our understanding of the cosmos and ourselves.

What do a medieval board game, a mystic dancer, a stroke survivor, and the orbit of Jupiter have in common ? All are part of the long human search for harmony and rhythm - principles that have shaped music, mathematics, architecture, medicine, theology, and cosmology across millennia.

Harmony and Rhythm of the Universe : Interdisciplinary Explorations from 1500 to the Present brings together physicists, astronomers, neuroscientists, mathematicians, musicians, historians, and theologians in a richly interdisciplinary dialogue. From Pythagoras and Plato to Kepler and Einstein, from Renaissance Europe to modern neuroscience, this volume traces how two deceptively simple concepts have proven endlessly generative—capable of connecting the movements of celestial bodies to the rhythms of the human heartbeat, and the proportions of a cathedral façade to the intervals of a musical scale.

Rather than offering a linear history, the book demonstrates that harmony and rhythm are living, contested, and evolving ideas. Past and present speak to one another here : ancient intuitions illuminate new discoveries, and contemporary science casts fresh light on centuries-old thought. For anyone curious about the deep connections between art, science, and the human experience of the universe, this volume is an invitation to listen more carefully—to the world, and to ourselves.

Christoph Strozetzski is Professor of Romance Literature at the University of Münster, Germany, and specializes in the history of ideas – Maria Victoria Curto Hernandez is a postdoctoral researcher and lecturer at the Complutense University of Madrid, Spain.

M. Dickson, V. Dominguez-Guillaume, M.-L. Haack, D. Paris-Poulain et Ph. Sénéchal (dir.), L'œuvre en mouvement de l'Antiquité au XVIIIe siècle

2026-06-10T01:00:00Z

M. Dickson, V. Dominguez-Guillaume, M.-L. Haack, D. Paris-Poulain et Ph. Sénéchal (dir.), L'œuvre en mouvement de l'Antiquité au XVIII^e siècle, Pessac, Ausonius, 2022, 391 p. – ISBN : 978-2-35613-525-4

Les 22 essais qui constituent le présent ouvrage analysent le mouvement dans un ensemble varié d'œuvres littéraires, iconographiques et musicales, de l'Antiquité au XVIII^e siècle. Après un cadrage philosophique et historique de la notion au moyen du rythmos, compris comme temps, forme, ou mesure, la réflexion est déclinée en trois moments. “Figures du mouvement” s'intéresse aux formes du mouvement restituées par la tradition textuelle médiévale, inscrites dans les portails romans d'Aquitaine, les Annonciations flamandes et les extases baroques, ou gravées dans des objets du quotidien, vaisselle ou jetons. “Objets en mouvement” considère les œuvres dans leur matérialité, et examine la circulation des parfums antiques et des objets votifs médiévaux, le mécanisme des “marionnettes sacrées” du Christ et de la machinerie théâtrale, ou le fonctionnement des processions, rituelles ou profanes, en Italie et dans l'espace franco-bourguignon. Enfin, avec “Mouvements du corps”, entre iconographie étrusque, rondeaux latins et acrobates des chapiteaux romans, la gestualité est décrite et analysée dans la musique et dans la danse, réelle ou sculptée. Le mouvement apparaît ainsi comme l'une des modalités les plus accomplies de l'œuvre d'art, qu'elle soit texte, tableau, sculpture, dispositif ou monument.

F. Cleto & S. Consonni (a cura di), Tempo di serie : Rigenerazione

2026-02-10T06:00:00Z

F. Cleto & S. Consonni (a cura di), Tempo di serie : Rigenerazione, Milano, Il Mulino, 2026, 416 p. – ISBN : 978-8815391957

Il tempo è la sostanza della narrazione. Lo è in modo evidente nelle forme della narrazione seriale, come dimostra la produzione culturale degli ultimi venticinque anni. Oltre i confini del linguaggio televisivo e cinematografico, il volume ragiona su questo « tempo di serie », inquadrando la serialità come paradigma per letteratura, teatro, videoarte, musica, fumetti, fotografia, animazione e varie forme e pratiche di intrattenimento. Questo tempo viene osservato attraverso il filtro cognitivo della « rigenerazione ». Ripensa la serialità attraverso la metafora biologica della riproduzione e della successione, e indaga la rigenerazione come motore della rappresentazione mediale, come cifra di produzione discorsiva e testuale (la creazione e ri-creazione) legata a questioni nodali nella cultura contemporanea, come la transmedialità, la risemiotizzazione, la transcodifica, l'adattamento, l'appropriazione. Tutte forme, queste, di rigenerazione della discorsività : di linguaggi, sistemi di segni, scenari sociali e immaginari espressivi, sociotecnici e culturali.

F. Cleto & F. Pasquali (a cura di), Tempo di serie : La temporalità nella narrazione seriale

2026-01-28T06:00:00Z

F. Cleto & F. Pasquali (a cura di), Tempo di serie : La temporalità nella narrazione seriale, Milano, Unicopli, 2018, 221 p. – ISBN : 978-8840020143

Il tempo è il cuore, la materia viva della serialità televisiva. È il dispositivo formale e il fattore strutturante della narrazione, oltre che la sua occasione e circostanza, quando non il suo oggetto o tema. Della serialità la durata è del resto la ragion d'essere : quello che ne specifica la forma, la produzione, il consumo. E forse, quello che la rende emblematica della serialità tout court, la modalità narrativa per eccellenza del nostro tempo. Alla fondamentale complessità del tempo seriale si rivolge lo sguardo multidisciplinare di questo volume, che impegna sociologi dei media e storici del cinema e della televisione, letterati e storici, nel riflettere su come la narrazione televisiva abbia assunto nuova centralità superando se stessa, uscendo dai propri confini produttivi e di consumo, concedendosi a un circuito vorticoso di appropriazione e riappropriazione, alla dialettica fra passione emotiva e ossessione cognitiva che ne sancisce l'ingaggio con lo spettatore.

C. Maitte & D.Terrier (dir.), Les rythmes du labeur : Enquête sur le temps de travail en Europe occidentale XVe-XIXe siècle

2026-01-27T06:00:00Z

C. Maitte & D.Terrier (dir.), Les rythmes du labeur : Enquête sur le temps de travail en Europe occidentale XV^e-XIX^e siècle, Paris, La Dispute, 2020, 424 p. – ISBN : 978-2843033001

Temps, rythmes et intensité du travail sont des questions qui traversent depuis des siècles les sociétés occidentales. En 1516, dans son Utopie, Thomas More imagine déjà les Utopiens travaillant seulement six heures par jour, alors que partout ailleurs « le triste sort de l'ouvrier » est de s'atteler « au travail comme des bêtes de somme depuis le grand matin jusque bien avant dans la nuit ! ». Oser une perspective historique de longue durée est un pari pour mieux comprendre les problématiques actuelles à propos du travail. En écho aux analyses des sociologues, cet ouvrage aborde les différents rythmes du labeur, du temps court de la journée à celui des saisons et de l'année, depuis le XIV^e jusqu'à la fin du XIX^e siècle.

Corine Maitte est professeur d'histoire moderne à l'université Paris-Est Marne-la-Vallée. – Didier Terrier est professeur d'histoire moderne et contemporaine à l'université de Valenciennes. Leurs travaux portent sur l'organisation du travail et de la production en Europe (XVI^e-XIX^e siècles).