Samir Amin: Eurocentrism: Modernity, Religion and Democracy: A Critique of Eurocentrism and Culturalism (1988-) [FR, EN, ES]

Since its first publication more than twenty years ago, Eurocentrism has become a classic of radical thought. Written by one of the world’s foremost political economists, this original and provocative essay takes on one of the great “ideological deformations” of our time: Eurocentrism. Rejecting the dominant Eurocentric view of world history, which narrowly and incorrectly posits a progression from the Greek and Roman classical world to Christian feudalism and the European capitalist system, Amin presents a sweeping reinterpretation that emphasizes the crucial historical role played by the Arab Islamic world. Throughout the work, Amin addresses a broad set of concerns, ranging from the ideological nature of scholastic metaphysics to the meanings and shortcomings of contemporary Islamic fundamentalism. This second edition contains a new introduction and concluding chapter, both of which make the author’s arguments even more compelling.

French edition
Publisher Anthropos-Economica, Paris, 1988
160 pages

English edition
Translated by Russell Moore and James Membrez
First published in 1989
Publisher Monthly Review Press, New York, 2010
ISBN 1583672079, 9781583672075
288 pages

review (Joshua Moufawad-Paul, Marx & Philosophy Review of Books)

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L’eurocentrisme: Critique d’une ideologie (French, 1988)
Eurocentrism: Modernity, Religion and Democracy: A Critique of Eurocentrism and Culturalism, alt link (English, trans. Russell Moore and James Membrez, 2nd edition, 1989/2010)
El eurocentrismo: Crítica de una ideología (Spanish, trans. Rosa Cuminsky de Cendrero, 1989)

Clifford Geertz: The Interpretation of Cultures: Selected Essays (1973-) [English, Czech, Catalan]

In The Interpretation of Cultures, the most original anthropologist of his generation moved far beyond the traditional confines of his discipline to develop an important new concept of culture. This groundbreaking book, winner of the 1974 Sorokin Award of the American Sociological Association, helped define for an entire generation of anthropologists what their field is ultimately about.

Publisher Basic Books, New York, 1973
ISBN 0465097197, 9780465097197
470 pages
via Sorin Danut

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The Interpretation of Cultures: Selected Essays (English, 1973)
Interpretace kultur: Vybrané eseje (Czech, trans. Hana Červinková, Václav Hubinger and Hedvika Humlíčková, 2000)
La interpretación de las culturas (Catalan, trans. Alberto L. Bixio, 2003)

Tobias Conradi, Heike Derwanz, Florian Muhle (eds.): Strukturentstehung durch Verflechtung: Akteur-Netzwerk-Theorie(n) und Automatismen (2011) [German]

Die Akteur-Netzwerk-Theorie stellt mit ihrem Anliegen, die Verflechtungen zwischen Natur, Kultur, Gesellschaft und Technik strikt empirisch zu erforschen, eine Herausforderung für die Sozial- und Kulturwissenschaften dar. Dieser Herausforderung widmet sich der Band aus einer interdisziplinären Perspektive. Ein Hauptinteresse gilt der Frage, wie mit der Akteur-Netzwerk-Theorie die Entstehung ungeplanter Strukturen untersucht werden kann.

Nach einem einleitenden Text von John Law wird eine kritische Diskussion über die überraschende Handlungsfähigkeit nicht-menschlicher Akteure, die Verteilung von Macht in Netzwerken sowie mögliche Akzentverschiebungen und theoretische Anschlüsse an die ANT entfaltet. Die Beiträge gehen dabei der Handlungsmächtigkeit von Viren, Problemen des Regierens nach Hurrikan Katrina oder der Frage einer nicht-modernen Geschichte moderner Medien nach.

Publisher Wilhelm Fink, Munich, 2011
ISBN 3770552202, 9783770552207
341 pages

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Theory, Culture & Society 29 (4-5), Special issue on Topologies of Culture (2012)

“In social and cultural theory, topology has been used to articulate changes in structures and spaces of power. In this introduction, we argue that culture itself is becoming topological. In particular, this ‘becoming topological’ can be identified in the significance of a new order of spatio-temporal continuity for forms of economic, political and cultural life today. This ordering emerges, sometimes without explicit coordination, in practices of sorting, naming, numbering, comparing, listing, and calculating. We show that the effect of these practices is both to introduce new continuities into a discontinuous world by establishing equivalences or similitudes, and to make and mark discontinuities through repeated contrasts. In this multiplication of relations, topological change is established as being constant, normal and immanent, rather than being an exceptional form, which is externally produced; that is, forms of economic, political and cultural life are identified and made legible in terms of their capacities for continuous change. Outlining the contributions to this Special Issue, the introduction discusses the meaning of topological culture and provides an analytic framework through which to understand its implications.” (from the Abstract)

With contributions by Celia Lury, Luciana Parisi, and Tiziana Terranova, Peter Sloterdijk, Rob Shields, Sandro Mezzadra and Brett Neilson, Penelope Harvey, Mike Michael and Marsha Rosengarten, Evelyn Ruppert, Steven D. Brown, Luciana Parisi, Richard Rogers, Xin Wei Sha, Brian Rotman, Scott Lash, Noortje Marres, Matthew Fuller and Andrew Goffey, Julian Henriques.

Publisher SAGE
ISSN 0263-2764
342 pages

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Jean Dubuffet: Asphyxiating Culture (1968-) [Portuguese, Czech]

“Jean Dubuffet’s only and a particularly significant book, Asphyxiating Culture is a philosophical and political discussion which elucidates his antagonistic stance towards culture and its influence on the public domain of art and the private domain of creativity.

In his anti-culturalism, he posited the realm of culture against that of the individual, and saw culture as equivalent to the state and the police. To him, it represented bureaucracy, propaganda, patriotism, indoctrination, capitalism, the status quo, and illusory coherence. The individual, however, was the keeper of the creative spirit and the domain of the common man. The individual exemplified rebellion, independence, creativity, nature, diversity, and eclecticism.” (source)

Originally published in French as Asphyxiante culture, Jean-Jacques Pauvert, Paris, 1968

MA thesis on Dubuffet (Samantha Krukowski, 1992)
sound recordings of Dubuffet (UbuWeb)

Cultura asfixiante (Portuguese, trans. Serafim Ferreira, 1971, no OCR)
Asphyxiating Culture and Other Writings (English sample, trans. Carol Volk, 1988, pages 7-12)
Dusivá kultura (Czech, trans. Ladislav Šerý, 1998, no OCR)

Michel Henry: Barbarism (1987/2012)

Barbarism represents a critique, from the perspective of Michel Henry’s unique philosophy of life, of the increasing potential of science and technology to destroy the roots of culture and the value of the individual human being. For Henry, barbarism is the result of a devaluation of human life and culture that can be traced back to the spread of quantification, the scientific method and technology over all aspects of modern life. The book develops a compelling critique of capitalism, technology and education and provides a powerful insight into the political implications of Henry’s work. It also opens up a new dialogue with other influential cultural critics, such as Marx, Husserl, and Heidegger.

First published in French in 1987, Barbarism aroused great interest as well as virulent criticism. Today the book reveals what for Henry is a cruel reality: the tragic feeling of powerlessness experienced by the cultured person. Above all he argues for the importance of returning to philosophy in order to analyse the root causes of barbarism in our world.

Originally published in French as La Barbarie by Editions Grasset & Fasquelle, 1987
Translated by Scott Davidson
Publisher Continuum, London/New York, 2012
Volume 95 of Continuum Impacts
ISBN 1441132651, 9781441132659
168 pages

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Continent. journal, No. 1-7 (2011-2012)

Continent. maps a topology of unstable confluences and ranges across new thinking, traversing interstices and alternate directions in culture, theory, politics and art.

Continent. exists as a platform for thinking through media. text, image, video, sound and new forms of publishing online are presented as reflections on and challenges to contemporary conditions in politics, media studies, art, film and philosophical thought.

Contributors to issue 2.3: François Laruelle, Andy Weir, Henrik Lübker, Berit Soli-Holt & April Vannini & Jeremy Fernando, Andrea Fraser, Sean Gurd, Paul Amitai, Sasha Ross, Thierry Geoffroy.

Contributors to issue 2.2: Vilém Flusser, Bonnie Jones, Eugene Thacker, Gary J. Shipley and Nicola Masciandaro, Vincent W.J. van Gerven Oei, Sean Joseph Patrick Carney, The Editors of Speculations & continent., Ishac Bertran, Duane Rousselle, A. Staley Groves.

Editors: Jamie Allen, Paul Boshears, Nico Jenkins
Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License
ISSN 2159-9920

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