Gilles Deleuze, Postcolonial Theory, and the Philosophy of Limit

(Paperback)

Available Formats

Publishing Details

Classifications

Physical Properties

Description

Does a philosopher have an identity What kind of identity is mobilized when the work of a philosopher becomes a major reference for certain schools of thought, as in the case of Gilles Deleuze and postcolonial theory Have the promoters of a generalized Deleuzeanism taken care their usage of his specialized work does him justice Few exponents of postcolonial and subaltern theories now dispute the influence that Deleuzes work exerted on the intellectuals and theorists who developed those theories. However, this book contends that postcolonial and subaltern theorists have engaged with Deleuzean thought in ways that have perhaps produced a long series of misunderstandings for which Deleuze himself is not responsible. By engaging with recent innovations in North African culture and by examining the dissemination of Deleuzes identities across a broad range of postcolonial theory, Rda Bensmaa shows that the encounter between Deleuze and the postcolonial movement can only be understood through the idea of a transcendental field, in which Deleuze and his postcolonial followers find themselves captured.

Reviews

How to think the postcolonial" with Deleuze With reference to key concepts such as haecceities, audiovisuality, the event, minor literature, and becoming-animal, Rda Bensmaa offers a series of thought-provoking answers to this dynamic question. At once rigorous and open-minded, and attuned to debates in philosophy, film theory, literature, art, and geopolitics, this book is a tribute to Deleuzean discourse at its best. * Rey Chow, Anne Firor Scott Professor of Literature, Duke University, USA *
For many years now, Rda Bensmaa has been an important voice in the study of Gilles Deleuze, one of the most important philosophers of the late 20th century. This volume is a remarkable experiment, bringing Deleuzes thought into that other territory which Bensmaa has so impressively travelled, postcolonial theory. Bensmaa shows how Deleuzes philosophical and political cartography can be used to chart paths through postcolonial theory, demonstrating that any attempt to think through the questions raised by postcolonial theory will have to take at least some of its bearings using Deleuzes writings. * John Noyes, Professor of German, University of Toronto, Canada *
The encounter between Deleuzes thought and postcolonial theory takes place as an event of perpetual infraction. For how can one apply a body of thought predicated on a rigorous thinking of the limit The question lies at the heart of this luminous book by a true pilgrim of Deleuze's thought. Bensmaas account of Deleuzes work as the philosophy of limit avoids the anxiety and bad conscience that haunt every approach to Deleuze in the expository mode. The result is an extraordinary work whose impact will be felt far beyond its own disciplinary limits. * Timothy Bewes, Professor of English, Brown University, USA *
This superb book explores the haecceity that results when the multiple names of Deleuze encounter the postcolonial writers of the Maghreb. In his inimitable style, Rda Bensmaa explores how Deleuze's concepts make it possible to orient the thought, the aesthetic sensibility, and the politics of the postcolony in completely new directions. Here is Deleuze 'developed from below' in relation to the minor literature of Francophone Algeria. Rather than seeking to capture and unify the multiple names of Deleuze - instead of interpreting a system of Deleuzian philosophy and applying its concepts to the postcolony - Bensmaa reveals the liberatory potential of the extraordinary machine of expression that Deleuzian philosophy sets in motion. * Simone Bignall, Senior Lecturer, Indigenous Strategy and Engagement, Flinders University, Australia *
Rda Bensmaa is an outstanding reader of Deleuze who always enriches our understanding of the concepts whose contours he traces. He stages novel encounters between Deleuzes texts and other arts, other thinkers. These rich and rewarding essays are essential reading for anyone interested in Deleuze, postcolonial theory and North African literatures. * Paul Patton, Scientia Professor, School of Humanities & Languages, University of New South Wales, Australia *

Author Bio

Rda Bensmaa is Professor Emeritus, Formerly University Professor of French and Francophone Literature, in the Department of French Studies and the Department of Comparative Literature at Brown University, USA. He has published extensively on French and Francophone literature of the 20th century as well as on film theory and contemporary philosophy.