Hakak
dr yohai hakak joined brunel in september 2014. dr. hakak's practice experience is in mental health social work. his areas of research interests are migration, embodiment, parenting, risk-perception, youth, religion, gender and mental health and the connection of these areas with social work. dr hakak published in these areas numerous articles. his last manuscript titled haredi masculinities between the yeshiva, the army, work and politics: the sage, the warrior and the entrepreneur was an ethnographic study of jewish haredi (ultra-orthodox) young men in israel. it was published by brill in 2016. the outcomes of yohai’s academic work included also several award-winning documentary films. yohai is interested in supervising students in the following areas and in relation to social work: migration embodiment religious minorities masculine identities mental health risk and its perception mixed couples yohai's current areas of research interest are: embodiment in academic and professional practice | brunel university london the migration of professionals mixed families religious minorities mental health state power
![Dr Yohai Hakak]()
Dr Yohai Hakak
Dr Yohai Hakak joined Brunel in September 2014. Dr. Hakak's practice experience is in mental health social work. His areas of research interests are migration, embodiment, parenting, risk-perception, youth, religion, gender and mental health and the connection of these areas with social work. Dr Hakak published in these areas numerous articles. His last manuscript titled Haredi Masculinities between the Yeshiva, the Army, Work and Politics: The Sage, the Warrior and the Entrepreneur was an ethnographic study of Jewish Haredi (Ultra-Orthodox) young men in Israel. It was published by Brill in 2016. The outcomes of Yohai’s academic work included also several award-winning documentary films. Yohai is interested in supervising students in the following areas and in relation to social work: Migration Embodiment Religious minorities Masculine identities Mental health Risk and its perception Mixed couples Yohai's current areas of research interest are: Embodiment in Academic and Professional Practice | Brunel University London The migration of professionals Mixed families Religious minorities Mental health State power
Watkin
william watkin is professor of contemporary philosophy and literature. he has been at brunel university since 1999, and has held a personal chair there since 2008. he is currently director of research for the arts and humanities department, a position he has held more than once. during his time at brunel he has also served as head of english and of the english and creative writing division and deputy head of the school. professor watkin has extensive experience with research assessment. he wrote english’s successful rae2008 bid, our first submission as a unit to the rae. he then supervised the early stages of our successful ref 2014 bid, overseeing the school’s internal mock-ref. he took over the final stages of the ref2021 submission, creating a vision for the division "transforming the literary landscape." this submission was highly commended by the university and resulted in one of the highest gpas at brunel. prof. watkin’s research profile is extremely well-established, highly-regarded, influential and wide-ranging. his main area of interest for the last decade has been the philosophy of indifference. although a well-established philosopher, watkin began his career working on contemporary poetics and literary theory and wrote three books in this area. the third of these "the literary agamben", was highly regarded by agamben himself and paved the way for the second phase of watkin's career as he transitioned from a literary theorist to a continental philosopher. watkin is the world's leading expert on the philosophy of giorgio agamben. of his fourth book "agamben and indifference" agamben himself wrote: "watkin has produced a work of astonishing originality, which any attempt to read twentieth-century philosophy will be obliged to confront”. of the same book leading philosoher françois laruelle wrote: “watkin’s sharp lens is indispensable for those who want to grasp a central aspect of contemporary philosophy." watkin is also one of the leading voices on the philosophy of alain badiou having written two books on key concepts in badiou's overall project: "badiou and indifferent being" and "badiou and communicable worlds". watkin's seventh book, "bioviolence: how the powers that be make us do what they want" applies his philosophy of indifference to biopolitical theory, another area where he has extensive expertise. "bioviolence" is also the first attempt by watkin to apply indifferential thought to contemporary, real-world examples. this project is continued in his next book "herd immunities: the philosophy of covid" which analyses the global pandemic using the indifferential reasoning he has developed in the earlier work. watkin is a published journalist with articles in the independent, the week, newsweek europe, the big issue, the conversation, the new philosopher, tes and the white review. he has made various media appearances, and is also also a blogger and film-maker. he has a strong interest in the internet, social media, disinformation and, more recently ai. he is also a painter and large abstract acrylics. many of the covers of his books were painted by him. research areas: continental philosophy: agamben, badiou, derrida, deleuze, foucault, kristeva, nancy, esposito analytical philosophy: extensional logic, frege, wittgenstein, carnap, quine literary theory contemporary and modern poetics violence biopolitics covid social media, ai and digital culture prof. watkin will supervise projects on any aspects of the work of agamben, badiou, nancy and deleuze. further he will consider supervising students on any areas of literary theory, continental philosophy, contemporary literature, experimental poetry and poetics in general. his current research interest is indifference as a development, completion and critique of discourses of difference that have predominated in the humanities for the last forty years. he just completed a monograph on the work of philosopher giorgio agamben in relation to indifference. agamben is one of watkin’s areas of specialisation, having published the first critical monograph on agamben and literature in 2010. he is currently working on deleuze and indifference. his other major project is a consideration of the complex relation between poetry and philosophy since heidegger, which conceives of poetry/literature as a mode of thinking or, as watkin calls it, logopoiesis. his 2010 agamben monograph is part of a three volume study of logopoiesis which will include work on nancy and badiou in the years to come. previously watkin has published books on the new york school of poetry in relation to avant-gardism and theoretical consideration of literatures of mourning in the modern era. he has published numerous articles on contemporary experimental poetry: ashbery, o’hara, koch, schulyer, hejinian, silliman, bernstein, and du plessis contemporary poetry and poetics literature and philosophy contemporary continental philosophy: agamben, badiou, deleuze, nancy indifference william watkin has taught a wide variety of areas at brunel. his current teaching interests revolve around the changing face of literary theory in the new millennium. he runs courses on the relation of philosophy to literature and the arts from the historical origins of aesthetics through to the most contemporary philosophical statements on aesthetics and literature. he has also taught contemporary literature for many years, specialising in contemporary poetry and poetics. he has a wider interest in poetics and has taught the history of poetry. another interest is the avant-garde and experimentalism. he taught modernism and the avant-garde for many years and continues to run seminars on experimental, contemporary poetry. activities: key publications: “the poetics of presentation: lyn hejinian’s my life project and the work of giorgio agamben” textual practice 2012. “the / turn and the “ ” pause: agamben, derrida and the stratification of poetry” in textures series, lexington press 2011. “poetry’s promiscuous plurality: on a part of jean-luc nancy’s the muses[pg1] ” in jean-luc nancy and plural thinking suny 2011. the literary agamben: adventures in logopoiesis (london: continuum university press, march 2010). “derrida’s limits: aporias between ‘ousia and grammē’,” derrida today 3.1 (2010): 113-136. “projective recursion: the structure of ron silliman’s tjanting,” jacket 39 (2010). “taking steps beyond elegy: poetry, philosophy, lineation, and death,” textual practice 23.6 (2009): 1051-1065. “the materialization of prose: poiesis versus dianoia in the work of godzich & kittay, schklovsky, silliman and agamben,” paragraph 31.3 (2008): 344-364. “‘systematic rule-governed violations of convention’: ron silliman’s poetic procedures,” contemporary literature 48.4, 2007: 499-529. “counterchange: derrida’s poetry,” in encountering derrida: legacies and futures of deconstruction (london: continuum, 2007). on mourning: theories of loss in modern literature. (edinburgh university press, 2004). “revolution, melancholia and materiality in the work of julia kristeva”. paragraph 26.3 (2003): 86-107. “friendly little communities: derrida’s politics of death.” strategies: journal of theory, culture and politics 15.2 (2002): 219-237. in the process of poetry: the new york school and the avant-garde. (lewisburg, penn.: bucknell university press, 2001). “poetry machines: repetition in the early poetry of kenneth koch.” entertext 1.1 (dec. 2000): 83-117.
![Professor William Watkin]()
Professor William Watkin
William Watkin is Professor of Contemporary Philosophy and Literature. He has been at Brunel University since 1999, and has held a personal Chair there since 2008. He is currently Director of Research for the Arts and Humanities Department, a position he has held more than once. During his time at Brunel he has also served as Head of English and of the English and Creative Writing Division and Deputy Head of the School. Professor Watkin has extensive experience with research assessment. He wrote English’s successful RAE2008 bid, our first submission as a unit to the RAE. He then supervised the early stages of our successful REF 2014 bid, overseeing the school’s internal mock-REF. He took over the final stages of the REF2021 submission, creating a vision for the division "Transforming the Literary Landscape." This submission was highly commended by the university and resulted in one of the highest GPAs at Brunel. Prof. Watkin’s research profile is extremely well-established, highly-regarded, influential and wide-ranging. His main area of interest for the last decade has been the philosophy of indifference. Although a well-established philosopher, Watkin began his career working on contemporary poetics and literary theory and wrote three books in this area. The third of these "The Literary Agamben", was highly regarded by Agamben himself and paved the way for the second phase of Watkin's career as he transitioned from a literary theorist to a continental philosopher. Watkin is the world's leading expert on the philosophy of Giorgio Agamben. Of his fourth book "Agamben and Indifference" Agamben himself wrote: "Watkin has produced a work of astonishing originality, which any attempt to read twentieth-century philosophy will be obliged to confront”. Of the same book leading philosoher François Laruelle wrote: “Watkin’s sharp lens is indispensable for those who want to grasp a central aspect of contemporary philosophy." Watkin is also one of the leading voices on the philosophy of Alain Badiou having written two books on key concepts in Badiou's overall project: "Badiou and Indifferent Being" and "Badiou and Communicable Worlds". Watkin's seventh book, "Bioviolence: How the powers that be make us do what they want" applies his philosophy of indifference to biopolitical theory, another area where he has extensive expertise. "Bioviolence" is also the first attempt by Watkin to apply indifferential thought to contemporary, real-world examples. This project is continued in his next book "Herd Immunities: The Philosophy of Covid" which analyses the global pandemic using the indifferential reasoning he has developed in the earlier work. Watkin is a published journalist with articles in The Independent, The Week, Newsweek Europe, The Big Issue, The Conversation, The New Philosopher, TES and The White Review. He has made various media appearances, and is also also a blogger and film-maker. He has a strong interest in the internet, social media, disinformation and, more recently AI. He is also a painter and large abstract acrylics. Many of the covers of his books were painted by him. Research Areas: Continental philosophy: Agamben, Badiou, Derrida, Deleuze, Foucault, Kristeva, Nancy, Esposito Analytical philosophy: Extensional logic, Frege, Wittgenstein, Carnap, Quine Literary Theory Contemporary and Modern Poetics Violence Biopolitics Covid Social media, AI and digital culture Prof. Watkin will supervise projects on any aspects of the work of Agamben, Badiou, Nancy and Deleuze. Further he will consider supervising students on any areas of literary theory, continental philosophy, contemporary literature, experimental poetry and poetics in general. His current research interest is indifference as a development, completion and critique of discourses of difference that have predominated in the humanities for the last forty years. He just completed a monograph on the work of philosopher Giorgio Agamben in relation to indifference. Agamben is one of Watkin’s areas of specialisation, having published the first critical monograph on Agamben and literature in 2010. He is currently working on Deleuze and indifference. His other major project is a consideration of the complex relation between poetry and philosophy since Heidegger, which conceives of poetry/literature as a mode of thinking or, as Watkin calls it, logopoiesis. His 2010 Agamben monograph is part of a three volume study of logopoiesis which will include work on Nancy and Badiou in the years to come. Previously Watkin has published books on the New York School of poetry in relation to avant-gardism and theoretical consideration of literatures of mourning in the modern era. He has published numerous articles on contemporary experimental poetry: Ashbery, O’Hara, Koch, Schulyer, Hejinian, Silliman, Bernstein, and Du Plessis Contemporary Poetry and Poetics Literature and Philosophy Contemporary Continental Philosophy: Agamben, Badiou, Deleuze, Nancy Indifference William Watkin has taught a wide variety of areas at Brunel. His current teaching interests revolve around the changing face of literary theory in the new millennium. He runs courses on the relation of philosophy to literature and the arts from the historical origins of aesthetics through to the most contemporary philosophical statements on aesthetics and literature. He has also taught contemporary literature for many years, specialising in contemporary poetry and poetics. He has a wider interest in poetics and has taught the history of poetry. Another interest is the avant-garde and experimentalism. He taught modernism and the avant-garde for many years and continues to run seminars on experimental, contemporary poetry. Activities: Key Publications: “The Poetics of Presentation: Lyn Hejinian’s My Life Project and the work of Giorgio Agamben” Textual Practice 2012. “The / Turn and the “ ” Pause: Agamben, Derrida and the Stratification of Poetry” in Textures Series, Lexington Press 2011. “Poetry’s Promiscuous Plurality: On a Part of Jean-Luc Nancy’s The Muses[PG1] ” in Jean-Luc Nancy and Plural Thinking SUNY 2011. The Literary Agamben: Adventures in Logopoiesis (London: Continuum University Press, March 2010). “Derrida’s Limits: Aporias between ‘Ousia and Grammē’,” Derrida Today 3.1 (2010): 113-136. “Projective Recursion: The Structure of Ron Silliman’s Tjanting,” Jacket 39 (2010). “Taking steps beyond elegy: poetry, philosophy, lineation, and death,” Textual Practice 23.6 (2009): 1051-1065. “The Materialization of Prose: Poiesis versus Dianoia in the work of Godzich & Kittay, Schklovsky, Silliman and Agamben,” Paragraph 31.3 (2008): 344-364. “‘Systematic rule-governed violations of convention’: Ron Silliman’s Poetic Procedures,” Contemporary Literature 48.4, 2007: 499-529. “Counterchange: Derrida’s Poetry,” in Encountering Derrida: Legacies and Futures of Deconstruction (London: Continuum, 2007). On Mourning: Theories of Loss in Modern Literature. (Edinburgh University Press, 2004). “Revolution, Melancholia and Materiality in the Work of Julia Kristeva”. Paragraph 26.3 (2003): 86-107. “Friendly Little Communities: Derrida’s Politics of Death.” Strategies: Journal of Theory, Culture and Politics 15.2 (2002): 219-237. In the Process of Poetry: The New York School and the Avant-Garde. (Lewisburg, Penn.: Bucknell University Press, 2001). “Poetry Machines: Repetition in the Early Poetry of Kenneth Koch.” EnterText 1.1 (Dec. 2000): 83-117.