Uploaded June 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
An interview with James I. Porter, Irving Stone Professor in Literature and Distinguished Professor in Rhetoric at UC Berkeley. A leading scholar of classical antiquity, aesthetic theory, Nietzsche, and Foucault studies, Porter has authored influential works including Nietzsche and the Philology of the Future, The Origins of Aesthetic Thought in Ancient Greece, The Sublime in Antiquity, and Homer: The Very Idea. His research spans topics from ancient philosophies of sensation to Jewish philological thought and the modern reception of classical texts. In this interview, we explore the central questions that connect his diverse body of work, from the sublime and the tragic to the enduring power of Homer, Foucault’s legacy, and the role of classical studies today.
His books include:
- Nietzsche and the Philology of the Future
- The Invention of Dionysus: An Essay on “The Birth of Tragedy”
- Nietzsche and Literary Studies (editor)
- Homer: The Very Idea
His articles on Michel Foucault include:
- Porter, J. I. (2024). Foucault, Kant, and Antiquity. Representations, 165(1), 120-143.
- Porter, J. I. (2023). The cynics with and without foucault. Arethusa, 56(3), 363-389.
- Porter, J. I. (2017). Time for Foucault? Reflections on the Roman self from Seneca to Augustine. Foucault Studies, 113-133.
- Porter, J. I. (2006). Foucault’s Antiquity. Classics and the Uses of Reception, 168-79.
- Porter, J. I. (2005). Foucault's ascetic ancients. Phoenix, 59(1/2), 121-132.
Excerpts from this interview are featured in "On Foucault: Interview Highlights" - youtu.be/Wpc7oVGiRlE
Learn more about James I. Porter:
- UC Berkeley faculty page: https://vcresearch.berkeley.edu/faculty/james-porter
- Rhetoric at Berkeley: https://rhetoric.berkeley.edu/people/james-i-porter
- Academia page: https://berkeley.academia.edu/JamesIPorter
—
Access more videos: patreon.com/dgozli
Join my reading group: dgozli.com/reading-group-schedule
#Nietzsche #Foucault #Classics
An interview with James I. Porter, Irving Stone Professor in Literature and Distinguished Professor in Rhetoric at UC Berkeley. A leading scholar of classical antiquity, aesthetic theory, Nietzsche, and Foucault studies, Porter has authored influential works including Nietzsche and the Philology of the Future, The Origins of Aesthetic Thought in Ancient Greece, The Sublime in Antiquity, and Homer: The Very Idea. His research spans topics from ancient philosophies of sensation to Jewish philological thought and the modern reception of classical texts. In this interview, we explore the central questions that connect his diverse body of work, from the sublime and the tragic to the enduring power of Homer, Foucault’s legacy, and the role of classical studies today.
His books include:
- Nietzsche and the Philology of the Future
- The Invention of Dionysus: An Essay on “The Birth of Tragedy”
- Nietzsche and Literary Studies (editor)
- Homer: The Very Idea
His articles on Michel Foucault include:
- Porter, J. I. (2024). Foucault, Kant, and Antiquity. Representations, 165(1), 120-143.
- Porter, J. I. (2023). The cynics with and without foucault. Arethusa, 56(3), 363-389.
- Porter, J. I. (2017). Time for Foucault? Reflections on the Roman self from Seneca to Augustine. Foucault Studies, 113-133.
- Porter, J. I. (2006). Foucault’s Antiquity. Classics and the Uses of Reception, 168-79.
- Porter, J. I. (2005). Foucault's ascetic ancients. Phoenix, 59(1/2), 121-132.
Excerpts from this interview are featured in "On Foucault: Interview Highlights" - youtu.be/Wpc7oVGiRlE
Learn more about James I. Porter:
- UC Berkeley faculty page: https://vcresearch.berkeley.edu/faculty/james-porter
- Rhetoric at Berkeley: https://rhetoric.berkeley.edu/people/james-i-porter
- Academia page: https://berkeley.academia.edu/JamesIPorter
—
Access more videos: patreon.com/dgozli
Join my reading group: dgozli.com/reading-group-schedule
#Nietzsche #Foucault #Classics
