Hatred of Democracy

Ranciere critiques the political stance in the west that pours scorn on mass protests and popular culture at home, yet promotes the spread of democracy by force throughout the world … But Ranciere eschews polemic in order to show the confusion in our political discourse. He challenges what he sees as the widely held view that democratic life is synonymous with ‘the apolitical life of the indifferent consumer.’ * New Statesman *This tastily sardonic essay is partly a scholarly sprint through the history of political philosophy, and partly a very enjoyable stream of insults directed at rival penseurs. * Guardian *A piercing essay on the definitions and redefinitions of the term ‘democracy’ … the present catastrophe in Iraq provides more than ample proof of Ranciere’s bold assertion that we need to rethink the relationship between democracy and power before setting in motion any more wars in the name of ‘freedom.’ * Times Higher Education Supplement *In our time of the disorientation of the left, Rancière’s writings offer one the few consistent conceptualizations of how are to continue to resist. – Slavoj ZizekOne of the most compelling thinkers and writers in France since Michel Foucault and Gilles Delueze. – Tom Conley

Jacques Rancière is Emeritus Professor of Philosophy at the University of Paris-VIII. His books include The Politics of Aesthetics, On the Shores of Politics, Short Voyages to the Land of the People, The Nights of Labor, Staging the People, and The Emancipated Spectator.