Gabriel Rockhill - Böcker

Who Paidthe Pipers of Western Marxism? offers a crash course in the history ofimperialist propaganda, as well as in the Marxist method for analyzingculture and ideology. Author Gabriel Rockhill demonstrates the explanatoryand transformative superiority of a dialectical and historical materialistapproach, while elucidating how the world of ideas is a crucial site of classstruggle. He then engages in a meticulous counter-history of the FrankfurtSchool—which made a foundational contribution to Western Marxism—by situatingit within the global relations of class struggle and the imperialist war onactually existing socialism. With the explicit and direct backing of powerfulelements in the capitalist ruling class and the world’s leading imperialist state,the Frankfurt School developed a widely promoted form of compatible criticaltheory as an ersatz for dialectical and historical materialism. The volumeconcludes by bringing to the fore the positive project that serves as theguiding methodological framework for the work as a whole: a thoroughlyanticolonial and anti-imperialist Marxism dedicated to building socialism inthe real world. Drawing on extensive archival research to pull back thecurtain on ruling class machinations, Rockhill’s book elucidates how theintellectual world war on the socialist alternative has sought to shore upand promote a “compatible left” intelligentsia while misrepresenting,maligning, and trying to destroy the revolutionary left.

This book of tightly woven dialogues engages prominent thinkers in a discussion about the role of culture-broadly construed-in contemporary society and politics. Faced with the conceptual inflation of the notion of 'culture,' which now imposes itself as an indispensable issue in contemporary moral and political debates, these dynamic exchanges seek to rethink culture and critique beyond the schematic models that have often predominated, such as the opposition between "mainstream multiculturalism" and the "clash of civilizations." Prefaced by an introduction relating current cultural debates to the critical theory tradition, this book examines the politics of culture and the spirit of critique from three different vantage points. To begin, Gabriel Rockhill and Alfredo Gomez-Muller provide a stage-setting dialogue, followed by discussions with two major representatives of contemporary critical theory: Seyla Benhabib and Nancy Fraser. Working at the horizons of this tradition, Judith Butler, Immanuel Wallerstein, and Cornel West then provide important critical perspectives on cultural politics.The book's concluding section engages with Michael Sandel and Will Kymlicka, who work out of the Rawlsian tradition yet are uniquely concerned with the issue of culture, broadly understood. The epilogue, an interview with Axel Honneth, returns to the core issue of critical theory in cultural politics. Ranging from recent developments and progressive interventions in critical theory to dialogues that incorporate its insights into larger discussions of social and political philosophy, this book sharpens old critical tools while developing new strategies for rethinking the role of 'culture' in contemporary society.

This book of tightly woven dialogues engages prominent thinkers in a discussion about the role of culture-broadly construed-in contemporary society and politics. Faced with the conceptual inflation of the notion of 'culture,' which now imposes itself as an indispensable issue in contemporary moral and political debates, these dynamic exchanges seek to rethink culture and critique beyond the schematic models that have often predominated, such as the opposition between "mainstream multiculturalism" and the "clash of civilizations." Prefaced by an introduction relating current cultural debates to the critical theory tradition, this book examines the politics of culture and the spirit of critique from three different vantage points. To begin, Gabriel Rockhill and Alfredo Gomez-Muller provide a stage-setting dialogue, followed by discussions with two major representatives of contemporary critical theory: Seyla Benhabib and Nancy Fraser. Working at the horizons of this tradition, Judith Butler, Immanuel Wallerstein, and Cornel West then provide important critical perspectives on cultural politics.The book's concluding section engages with Michael Sandel and Will Kymlicka, who work out of the Rawlsian tradition yet are uniquely concerned with the issue of culture, broadly understood. The epilogue, an interview with Axel Honneth, returns to the core issue of critical theory in cultural politics. Ranging from recent developments and progressive interventions in critical theory to dialogues that incorporate its insights into larger discussions of social and political philosophy, this book sharpens old critical tools while developing new strategies for rethinking the role of 'culture' in contemporary society.

Gabriel Rockhill opens new space for rethinking the relationship between art and politics. Rather than understanding the two spheres as separated by an insurmountable divide or linked by a privileged bridge, Rockhill demonstrates that art and politics are not fixed entities with a singular relation but rather dynamically negotiated, sociohistorical practices with shifting and imprecise borders. Radical History and the Politics of Art proposes a significant departure from extant debates on what is commonly called "art" and "politics," and the result is an impressive foray into the force field of history, in which cultural practices are meticulously analyzed in their social and temporal dynamism without assuming a conceptual unity behind them. Rockhill thereby develops an alternative logic of history and historical change, as well as a novel account of social practices and a multidimensional theory of agency.Engaging with a diverse array of intellectual, artistic, and political constellations, this tour de force diligently maps the various interactions between different dimensions of aesthetic and political practices as they intertwine and sometimes merge in precise fields of struggle.

Gabriel Rockhill opens new space for rethinking the relationship between art and politics. Rather than understanding the two spheres as separated by an insurmountable divide or linked by a privileged bridge, Rockhill demonstrates that art and politics are not fixed entities with a singular relation but rather dynamically negotiated, sociohistorical practices with shifting and imprecise borders. Radical History and the Politics of Art proposes a significant departure from extant debates on what is commonly called "art" and "politics," and the result is an impressive foray into the force field of history, in which cultural practices are meticulously analyzed in their social and temporal dynamism without assuming a conceptual unity behind them. Rockhill thereby develops an alternative logic of history and historical change, as well as a novel account of social practices and a multidimensional theory of agency.Engaging with a diverse array of intellectual, artistic, and political constellations, this tour de force diligently maps the various interactions between different dimensions of aesthetic and political practices as they intertwine and sometimes merge in precise fields of struggle.

The French philosopher Jacques RanciÈre has influenced disciplines from history and philosophy to political theory, literature, art history, and film studies. His research into nineteenth-century workers’ archives, reflections on political equality, critique of the traditional division between intellectual and manual labor, and analysis of the place of literature, film, and art in modern society have all constituted major contributions to contemporary thought. In this collection, leading scholars in the fields of philosophy, literary theory, and cultural criticism engage RanciÈre’s work, illuminating its originality, breadth, and rigor, as well as its place in current debates. They also explore the relationships between RanciÈre and the various authors and artists he has analyzed, ranging from Plato and Aristotle to Flaubert, Rossellini, Auerbach, Bourdieu, and Deleuze. The contributors to this collection do not simply elucidate RanciÈre’s project; they also critically respond to it from their own perspectives. They consider the theorist’s engagement with the writing of history, with institutional and narrative constructions of time, and with the ways that individuals and communities can disturb or reconfigure what he has called the “distribution of the sensible.” They examine his unique conception of politics as the disruption of the established distribution of bodies and roles in the social order, and they elucidate his novel account of the relationship between aesthetics and politics by exploring his astute analyses of literature and the visual arts. In the collection’s final essay, RanciÈre addresses some of the questions raised by the other contributors and returns to his early work to provide a retrospective account of the fundamental stakes of his project.Contributors. Alain Badiou, Étienne Balibar, Bruno Bosteels, Yves Citton, Tom Conley, Solange GuÉnoun, Peter Hallward, Todd May, Eric MÉchoulan, Giuseppina Mecchia, Jean-Luc Nancy, Andrew Parker, Jacques RanciÈre, Gabriel Rockhill, Kristin Ross, James Swenson, Rajeshwari Vallury, Philip Watts

The French philosopher Jacques RanciÈre has influenced disciplines from history and philosophy to political theory, literature, art history, and film studies. His research into nineteenth-century workers’ archives, reflections on political equality, critique of the traditional division between intellectual and manual labor, and analysis of the place of literature, film, and art in modern society have all constituted major contributions to contemporary thought. In this collection, leading scholars in the fields of philosophy, literary theory, and cultural criticism engage RanciÈre’s work, illuminating its originality, breadth, and rigor, as well as its place in current debates. They also explore the relationships between RanciÈre and the various authors and artists he has analyzed, ranging from Plato and Aristotle to Flaubert, Rossellini, Auerbach, Bourdieu, and Deleuze. The contributors to this collection do not simply elucidate RanciÈre’s project; they also critically respond to it from their own perspectives. They consider the theorist’s engagement with the writing of history, with institutional and narrative constructions of time, and with the ways that individuals and communities can disturb or reconfigure what he has called the “distribution of the sensible.” They examine his unique conception of politics as the disruption of the established distribution of bodies and roles in the social order, and they elucidate his novel account of the relationship between aesthetics and politics by exploring his astute analyses of literature and the visual arts. In the collection’s final essay, RanciÈre addresses some of the questions raised by the other contributors and returns to his early work to provide a retrospective account of the fundamental stakes of his project.Contributors. Alain Badiou, Étienne Balibar, Bruno Bosteels, Yves Citton, Tom Conley, Solange GuÉnoun, Peter Hallward, Todd May, Eric MÉchoulan, Giuseppina Mecchia, Jean-Luc Nancy, Andrew Parker, Jacques RanciÈre, Gabriel Rockhill, Kristin Ross, James Swenson, Rajeshwari Vallury, Philip Watts

In Counter-History of the Present Gabriel Rockhill contests, dismantles, and displaces one of the most widespread understandings of the contemporary world: that we are all living in a democratized and globalized era intimately connected by a single, overarching economic and technological network. Noting how such a narrative fails to account for the experiences of the billions of people who lack economic security, digital access, and real political power, Rockhill interrogates the ways in which this grand narrative has emerged in the same historical, economic, and cultural context as the fervid expansion of neoliberalism. He also critiques the concurrent valorization of democracy, which is often used to justify U.S. military interventions on the behalf of capital. Developing an alternative account of the current conjuncture that acknowledges the plurality of lived experiences around the globe and in different social strata, he shifts the foundations upon which debates about the contemporary world can be staged. Rockhill's counter-history thereby offers a new grammar for historical narratives, creating space for the articulation of futures no longer engulfed in the perpetuation of the present.

In Counter-History of the Present Gabriel Rockhill contests, dismantles, and displaces one of the most widespread understandings of the contemporary world: that we are all living in a democratized and globalized era intimately connected by a single, overarching economic and technological network. Noting how such a narrative fails to account for the experiences of the billions of people who lack economic security, digital access, and real political power, Rockhill interrogates the ways in which this grand narrative has emerged in the same historical, economic, and cultural context as the fervid expansion of neoliberalism. He also critiques the concurrent valorization of democracy, which is often used to justify U.S. military interventions on the behalf of capital. Developing an alternative account of the current conjuncture that acknowledges the plurality of lived experiences around the globe and in different social strata, he shifts the foundations upon which debates about the contemporary world can be staged. Rockhill's counter-history thereby offers a new grammar for historical narratives, creating space for the articulation of futures no longer engulfed in the perpetuation of the present.

With a critical eye, Gabriel Rockhill guides you through complex debates in history, politics and aesthetics, giving you an overview of key issues and central figures, including Foucault, Derrida, Castoriadis, Badiou and Rancière.Rockhill also engages in a nuanced exploration of recent work that calls into question the stereotype of ‘prominent figures’ and ‘intellectual movements. Far from hiding behind towering figures of the intellectual world, Rockhill stakes out positions in relationship to them and formulates precise arguments in favour of a new understanding of the historical relationship between art and politics.

With a critical eye, Gabriel Rockhill guides you through complex debates in history, politics and aesthetics, giving you an overview of key issues and central figures, including Foucault, Derrida, Castoriadis, Badiou and Rancière.Rockhill also engages in a nuanced exploration of recent work that calls into question the stereotype of ‘prominent figures’ and ‘intellectual movements. Far from hiding behind towering figures of the intellectual world, Rockhill stakes out positions in relationship to them and formulates precise arguments in favour of a new understanding of the historical relationship between art and politics.

Who Paidthe Pipers of Western Marxism? offers a crash course in the history ofimperialist propaganda, as well as in the Marxist method for analyzingculture and ideology. Author Gabriel Rockhill demonstrates the explanatoryand transformative superiority of a dialectical and historical materialistapproach, while elucidating how the world of ideas is a crucial site of classstruggle. He then engages in a meticulous counter-history of the FrankfurtSchool—which made a foundational contribution to Western Marxism—by situatingit within the global relations of class struggle and the imperialist war onactually existing socialism. With the explicit and direct backing of powerfulelements in the capitalist ruling class and the world’s leading imperialist state,the Frankfurt School developed a widely promoted form of compatible criticaltheory as an ersatz for dialectical and historical materialism. The volumeconcludes by bringing to the fore the positive project that serves as theguiding methodological framework for the work as a whole: a thoroughlyanticolonial and anti-imperialist Marxism dedicated to building socialism inthe real world. Drawing on extensive archival research to pull back thecurtain on ruling class machinations, Rockhill’s book elucidates how theintellectual world war on the socialist alternative has sought to shore upand promote a “compatible left” intelligentsia while misrepresenting,maligning, and trying to destroy the revolutionary left.

FrenchTheory is due for an insider critique, and in Requiem for French Theory,Aymeric Monville and Gabriel Rockhill do just that. Drawing upon decades ofstudying French philosophy in Paris, they build upon the best Marxistcriticisms of postmodernism, while further developing them by situatingpostmodern theory within the global political economy of knowledge andU.S.-driven intellectual imperialism. The result is a broad dialogue ontopics ranging from international class struggle and the dissemination ofideology, to fascism, identity politics, dialectics, actually existingsocialism, and among others. Requiem for French Theory soundly criticizes this tradition’s chameleonicideological permutations under new names, such as postcolonial thought,decolonial theory, new materialism, and other trendsetting discourses. But italso reveals how these theoretical developments are all part of a broaderanticommunist cultural front. Most importantly, Monville and Rockhill developthe positive project of anti-imperialist Marxism as the ultimate antidote toFrench theoretical sophistry. Far from indulging in the political defeatismcharacteristic of the Western Marxist critiques of postmodernism, thisintellectual exchange issues a clarion call for revitalizing revolutionarytheory and putting it into practice.

FrenchTheory is due for an insider critique, and in Requiem for French Theory,Aymeric Monville and Gabriel Rockhill do just that. Drawing upon decades ofstudying French philosophy in Paris, they build upon the best Marxistcriticisms of postmodernism, while further developing them by situatingpostmodern theory within the global political economy of knowledge andU.S.-driven intellectual imperialism. The result is a broad dialogue ontopics ranging from international class struggle and the dissemination ofideology, to fascism, identity politics, dialectics, actually existingsocialism, and among others. Requiem for French Theory soundly criticizes this tradition’s chameleonicideological permutations under new names, such as postcolonial thought,decolonial theory, new materialism, and other trendsetting discourses. But italso reveals how these theoretical developments are all part of a broaderanticommunist cultural front. Most importantly, Monville and Rockhill developthe positive project of anti-imperialist Marxism as the ultimate antidote toFrench theoretical sophistry. Far from indulging in the political defeatismcharacteristic of the Western Marxist critiques of postmodernism, thisintellectual exchange issues a clarion call for revitalizing revolutionarytheory and putting it into practice.