About us

17, Institute of Critical Studies was founded in Mexico City in 2001. The result of a unique combination of academic, psychoanalytic and cultural motives, today its activities span Critical Theory, Psychoanalysis, Arts Management and Critical Disability Studies. 2011 marked the beginning of the Institute’s activities in English.

Since 2006, the Institute offers a Masters degree and a Doctorate in Critical Theory whose original method of study combines intensive online written work during term-time with two colloquia a year in which all students converge. These postgraduate programmes currently host some 70 national and international students. In addition, 17 tends to 140 students in the context of various extension courses.
 
17 has hosted twelve international conferences and many other events convening such distinguished guests as: Claude Lanzmann (France), Patricio Peñalver (Spain), Georges Didi-Huberman (France), Boris Boubacar Diop (Senegal), Koulsy Lamko (Chad), Régine Robin (France), Cristina Santamarina (Spain), Safaa Fathy (Egypt), Elida Tessler (Brazil), Rolf Abderhalden (Colombia), Mario Bellatin (Mexico), José Luis Brea (Spain), Tony Ward (UK), Sergio Benvenuto (Italy), Alberto Moreiras (Spain), Joan Copjec (USA), Susana Finquelievich (Argentina), Cristina Santamarina (Spain), Dany-Robert Dufour (France), Kelly Dennis  (USA), Annie Sprinkle (USA), Bob Stein (USA), Federico Galende (Argentina), Davide Tarizzo (Italy), Gary Hall (UK), Carlos Amorales (Mexico), Christopher Fynsk (UK), Luisella Brusa (Italy), Jelica Sumic (Slovenia) and Beatriz Miranda (Ecuador).

We cultivate relations with Texas A&M University, the Università degli Studi di Salerno, the University of Aberdeen, the European Graduate School (Switzerland), the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (Netherlands), the Collège International de Philosophie (France), the Universidad Nacional de Rosario and the Universidad de Buenos Aires (Argentina).

For various projects we have received generous support from the Ford Foundation, the Embassy of France in Mexico, the Embassy of the United States of America in Mexico, Yad Vashem Mexico and the Fundación Cultural de la Ciudad de México.

In July 2010, the Institute bestowed its first Honorary Doctoral Degree on Slovenian-French blind photographer and writer, Evgen Bavčar.

The work of the Institute can be appraised through its publications. It currently edits the review Diecisiete, teoría crítica, psicoanálisis, acontecimiento, and it will shortly relaunch Politica Común, a Journal of Thought jointly with Texas A&M University, the Università degli Studi Salerno, and the University of Aberdeen.