Bakhtin and Cultural Theory

(Paperback, 2nd edition)

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The philosopher and critic Mikhail Bakhtin has been the object of a great deal of scholarly devotion, but much less sober analysis. This work neither "worships" Bakhtin, nor recruits him for various Anglo-American literary causes: it treats him as a provocative theorist whose work must be tested, explored and compared with the work of others. Contributors with a wide range of interests assess Bakhtin's contribution to difficult issues of colonialism, feminism, reception theory and theories of the body, amongst others. Many of the essays in the first edition of this collection have become standard reference points in cultural debate. The new revised edition takes advantage of the avalanche of new Bakhtin material which became available after perestroika. New articles explore the origins, previously unacknowledged, of Bakhtin's theory of language and provide a vivid account of the dramatic scandal surrounding Bakhtin's thesis on Rabelais. A new bibliographical essay and introduction bring the English-language reader up-to-date with the progress of Bakhtin studies in Russia, and celebrate the gradual demythologization of this important cultural theorist.

Author Bio

Ken Hirschkop is Senior Lecturer in English at the University of Manchester David Shepherd is Professor of Russian and Director of the Bakhtin Centre at the University of Sheffield