School of Culture and Communication

Research interests

Psychoanalysis, continental philosophy and contemporary aesthetic theory, 17th-century literature.

Biography

Justin Clemens gained his PhD from the University of Melbourne. He has published extensively on psychoanalysis, contemporary European philosophy, and Australian art and literature. Recent books include Villain (Hunter Publishing 2009) and Black River (re.press 2007), illustrated by Helen Johnson. With Christopher Dodds and Adam Nash, he is the creator of several online art-works, notably Babelswarm (2008) and Autoscopia (2009). He is currently editing The Jacqueline Rose Reader (Duke UP 2010) with Ben Naparstek, and Alain Badiou: Key Concepts (Acumen 2010) with A.J. Bartlett. He is Secretary of the Lacan Circle of Melbourne.

Teaching

• 106-109 Literature and Performance (coordinator, lecturer, tutor)
• 106-240 Introduction to Theory (coordinator, lecturer, tutor)
• 106-417 The Libertine Moment (coordinator, lecturer)

Full subject descriptions are available on the University of Melbourne Handbook.

Publications

Books

• Clemens, J. Villain. Melbourne: Hunter Publishing, 2009.
• Clemens, J. and Helen Johnson. Black River. Melbourne: re.press, 2007.
• Clemens, J. and D. Pettman. Avoiding the Subject. Amsterdam: Amsterdam UP, 2004.
• Clemens, J. The Mundiad. Melbourne: Black Inc Press, 2004.
• Clemens, J. The Romanticism of Contemporary Theory. Aldershot: Ashgate, 2003.

Edited collections

• Clemens, J. et al. Eds. The Work of Giorgio Agamben. Edinburgh: Edinburgh UP, 2008.
• Clemens, J. et al. Eds. The Praxis of Alain Badiou. Melbourne: re.press, 2006.
• Clemens, J. and R. Grigg. Eds. Jacques Lacan and the Other Side of Psychoanalysis. Durham: Duke University Press, 2006.
• Clemens, J. and O. Feltham. Eds. A. Badiou. Infinite Thought: Truth and the Return of Philosophy. London: Continuum, 2003 (Reprinted twice).

Book chapters

• Clemens, J. 'The politics of art,' Auckland ArtFair catalogue. Auckland: Random House, 2009. pp. 22-25.
• Clemens, J. 'The Role of the Shifter and the Problem of Reference in Giorgio Agamben,' in J.Clemens, et al. Eds. The Work of Giorgio Agamben. Edinburgh: EUP, 2008.
• Clemens, J. et al. 'The enigma of Giorgio Agamben,' in J. Clemens, et al. Eds. The Work of Giorgio Agamben. Edinburgh: EUP, 2008.
• Clemens, J. "Love as Ontology: Psychoanalysis against Philosophy."in R. Brassier and C. Kerslake. Eds. Origins and Ends of the Psyche. Leuven: Leuven University Press, 2007. In press.
• Clemens, J. and R. Grigg. "Introduction."Jacques Lacan and the Other Side of Psychoanalysis. Durham: Duke University Press, 2006. pp. 1-7.
• Clemens, J. "Postmodernity, or 'The Breaking of the Vessels.'"G. Clark. Ed. Ceramic Millennium. Nova Scotia: Nova Scotia School of Art and Design, 2006. pp. 129-140.
• Clemens, J. "If we had worlds enough, and time, this absolute, philosopher…"The Praxis of Alain Badiou. Melbourne: re.press, 2006. pp. 102-143.
• Clemens, J., A. Bartlett and P. Ashton. "Masters and Disciples."The Praxis of Alain Badiou. Melbourne: re.press, 2006. pp. 3-12.
• Clemens, J. "The politics of style in the work of Slavoj Zizek."in G. Boucher, J. Glynos and M. Sharpe. Eds. Traversing the Fantasy. Aldershot: Ashgate, 2005. pp. 3-22.
• Clemens, J. and O. Feltham. "Introduction."A. Badiou, Infinite Thought: Truth and the Return of Philosophy. Trans. and ed. J. Clemens and O. Feltham. London: Continuum, 2003. pp. 1-38.

Journal articles

• Clemens, J. 'Australian Poetry,' Five Bells, 2009, pp. 82-96.
• Clemens, J. 'Myth, abjection, otherness: contemporary Australian art.' Meanjin No. 3 (2009), pp. 38-49.
• Clemens, J. and J. Roffe. 'Philosophy as anti-religion in the work of Alain Badiou.' Sophia 47 (2008), pp. 345-358.
• Clemens, J. and M. Delany. "Of tents and tenets: Some relations between art and politics."Art &Australia, March 2007. pp. 429-433.
• Clemens, J. and R. Grigg. "A note on psychoanalysis and the crime of torture."Australian Feminist Law Journal, Vol. 24 (2006). pp. 161-177.
• Clemens, J. "Doubles of Nothing: the problem of binding truth to being in the work of Alain Badiou."Filozofski Vestnik. Vol. 26, No. 2 (2005). pp. 21-35.
• Clemens, J. "The uses of plagiarism."Space. No 2 (2005). pp. 97-112.
• Clemens, J. "The Purloined Veil."(a). Vol. IV, No. 1 (2004), pp. 75-88.
• Clemens, J. and D. Pettman. "Objectum sexuality."Theory, Culture and Society. Vol. 21, No. 6 (2004). pp. 137-144.
• Clemens, J. "Towards a Secret History of Ceramics."Ceramics: Art and Perception. No. 54 (2003). pp. 89-93.
• Clemens, J. "Letters as the Condition of Conditions for Alain Badiou."The Journal of Communication and Cognition, Vol. 36, No. 1-2 (2003), pp. 73-102.
• Clemens, J. &D. McCooey. "Local and/or General: Australia, Theory."Salt, Vol. 15 (2002). pp. 132-144.
• Clemens, J. "Sentiments of Intent: Art and Architecture,"Architectural Design, Vol. 72, No. 2 (2002). pp. 86-91.
• Clemens, J. "The Jew's Two Noses: Freud, Addiction, Cocaine,"The UTS Review, Vol. 7, No. 2 (2001). pp. 144-162.
• Clemens, J. "Platonic Meditations: The Word of Alain Badiou,"PLI . No. 11 (2001). pp. 200- 229.

Creative Works

• Clemens, J., C. Dodds, A. Nash, Autoscopia, National Portrait Gallery, Canberra,October 2009.
• Clemens, J., C. Dodds and A. Nash, Babelswarm, interactive exhibition at Lismore Regional Art Gallery, 11-23 April 2008.
• Clemens, J. 'Etude' and 'Detention,' Performance and art-exhibition, And the difference is…, Gertrude Contemporary Art Spaces, 22 May-16 June 2009
• Clemens, J. 'Hurt Sonnet,' Moving Galleries, Connex 2009.
• Clemens, J. et al. What Makes This Poem Beautiful? exhibition. Margaret Lawrence Gallery, Melbourne, June 2009.
• Clemens, J. "The Mundiad, Book IV."Jacket Magazine No. 33, April 2007.