Is the idea of something so intimate and private as sleep compatible with terms like society and politics? What is the history of thinking about sleep? Why has sleep been mostly ignored in the social sciences throughout history? In what way is the biopolitical view of sleep specific and how has it evolved? How did the ethos shunning sleep as a waste of time and a vice come about? How did industrialization change sleep? How does the neo-liberal concept of power relate to the ever-growing medicalization of sleep disorders and the shortening of the time we sleep? What status does sleep have in our 24/7 society? What is the future of sleep?
Nikola Ivanov’s lecture on the biopolitics of sleep will follow the author’s presentation of the book anthology Odpočinek v neklidu (Rest in Restless Time) that he presents together with the video Americká noc (Day for Night) at Fotograf Gallery during the Fotograf Festival program on the theme of “Non-Work: Occupied by Leisure Time”.
