Thursday 24 April 2014

Badiou on Ukraine

Alain Badiou is one of France's greatest living philosophers.  Of the generation of the famous structuralists and poststructuralists (Foucault, Deleuze, Derrida), Badiou seemed - at least in the English-speaking world - for long to be overshadowed by them.  But in recent years his reputation has soared, and the amount of his work being translated into English has grown exponentially, including materials reaching back to his early and primary writings.  This work includes books on ontology, mathematics, politics, political activism and drama.

Badiou, though now retired, continues to write seriously and to speak out fearlessly.  Particularly refreshing is the fact that he has never disavowed his far-left positions, and so now stands out in the morass of contemporary French philosophy and political activism for his intransigence and integrity (though in a context dominated by the likes of Bernard-Henri Levy - memorably described by Perry Anderson as a 'crass booby' - it might be hard not to).  Here is an article from the Verso website, where he discusses insurrection in regard to Ukraine, amongst other places:

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