Immanence and Micropolitics: Sartre, Merleau-Ponty, Foucault and Deleuze - Paperback

by Christian Gilliam (Author)

Maps the context and development of immanence and micropolitics, from Sartre to Deleuze
Christian Gilliam argues that a philosophy of 'pure' immanence is integral to the development of an alternative understanding of 'the political'; one that re-orients our understanding of the self toward the concept of an unconscious or 'micropolitical' life of desire. He argues that here, in this 'life', is where the power relations integral to the continuation of post-industrial capitalism are most present and most at stake.
Through proving its philosophical context, lineage and political import, Gilliam ultimately comes to outline and justify the conceptual importance and necessity of immanence in understanding politics and resistance, thereby challenging the claim that ontologies of 'pure' immanence are either apolitical and/or politically incoherent.

Back Jacket

'In his deft study, Gilliam provides a lineage of French philosophy from Sartre to Deleuze that grounds a conception of immanence increasingly employed within contemporary political theory. Beginning with the way Sartre's philosophy moved increasingly towards a kind of ontological immanence, he shows how this thought is taken further in Merleau-Ponty's conception of the flesh, Foucault's micropower relations, and Deleuze's concepts of disjunction, folding and desiring-production. In this way, Gilliam shows how immanence is necessarily cashed out in an understanding of politics as micropolitics.' Nathan Widder, Professor of Political Theory, Royal Holloway, University of London Mapping the context and development of immanence and micropolitics, from Sartre to Deleuze This book argues that a philosophy of 'pure' immanence is integral to the development of an alternative understanding of 'the political'; one that re-orients our understanding of the self toward the concept of an unconscious or 'micropolitical' life of desire. The author argues that here, in this 'life', is where the power relations integral to the continuation of post-industrial capitalism are most present and most at stake. Through proving the philosophical context, lineage and political import of immanence, the book ultimately comes to outline and justify its conceptual importance and necessity in understanding politics and resistance, thereby challenging the claim that ontologies of 'pure' immanence are either apolitical and/or politically incoherent. Christian Gilliam is Associate Lecturer in Political Theory at the University of Kent. Cover image: Eros, Paul Klee, 1923 (c) akg-images Cover design: [EUP logo] edinburghuniversitypress.com ISBN 978-1-4744-1788-4 Barcode

Author Biography

Christian Gilliam is an associate lecturer in political theory at the University of Kent. He has written a selection of articles on French existentialism, political subjectivity and micropolitics.