The Idea of Communism
Responding to Alain Badiou’s ‘communist hypothesis’, the leading political philosophers of the Left convened in London in 2009 to take part in a landmark conference to discuss the perpetual, persistent notion that, in a truly emancipated society, all things should be owned in common. This volume brings together their discussions on the philosophical and political import of the communist idea, highlighting both its continuing significance and the need to reconfigure the concept within a world marked by havoc and crisis.
Paperback, 240 pages
ISBN: 9781844674596
December 2010
$26.95 / £14.99
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Part of the Pocket Communism series
Blog
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Communism, A New Beginning? conference now online
We're pleased to finally post video from our Communism, A New Beginning? conference from back in October in the debut of our incredibly novel YouTube page. It's an interesting look back to a weekend of what was the first month anniversary of Occupy Wall Street; around when Étienne Balibar spoke on "Communism as Commitment, Imagination, and Politics," peaceful protesters just uptown at Times Square were arrested and en route to Central Booking.
Here is a guide to the talks given at this conference:
DAY 1
Alain Badiou: Politics and State, Mass Movement and Terror (presented by Bruno Bosteels)
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Full Communism
There are Reds under the bed. Or in the academies. Or worse: about to spill into the streets. So warns Alan Johnson in World Affairs, the esteemed Washington-based international affairs journal. Tracing the rising profile of a group of authors such as Alain Badiou, Bruno Bosteels and Slavoj Žižek and the popularity of their books, the columnist outlines what he sees as a nascent threat lurking in the incendiary words of Terry Eagleton and Toni Negri.
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An interview with Jason Barker, director of Marx Reloaded
Marx Reloaded is a documentary on the political relevancy of the economic and political philosophy of Karl Marx in the light of the global financial crisis, featuring insight and interviews from such figures as Slavoj Zizek, Antonio Negri, Jacques Rancière and Peter Sloterdijk. As the film hits cinemas next week, we asked its director, Jason Barker, a few questions.
Discussions
Begin a discussion about this book-
Slavoj Žižek hosts a conference at Cooper Union in New York, to discuss the continued relevance of the communist idea.“The long night of the Left is coming to a close” wrote Slavoj Žižek and Costas Douzinas in their introduction to The Idea of Communism. The continuing economic crisis, the shift away from a unipolar world defined by American hegemony, and the ecological crisis mean that growing numbers of people are keen to explore an alternative, and to rediscover the idea of communism. With the advent of the Arab Revolts, millions have sought new ways to overcome corruption and dictatorship—and they've now been joined by the wave of occupations in the US, challenging runaway inequality and the power of corporations and the super-rich.Friday, Oct 14, 6–9pm EDT: Slavoj Žižek, Frank Ruda, and Alain Badiou read by Bruno Bosteels.Saturday, Oct 15, 10am–1pm EDT: Bruno Bosteels and Susan Buck-Morss.Saturday, Oct 15, 3–7pm EDT: Adrian Johnston and Etienne Balibar.Sunday, Oct 16, 10am–1pm EDT: Jodi Dean and Slavoj Žižek.
Other books Edited by Costas Douzinas and Slavoj Žižek
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Contingency, Hegemony, Universality
by Judith Butler, Ernesto Laclau, et al. -
Did Somebody Say Totalitarianism?
by Slavoj Žižek -
Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Lacan (But Were Afraid to Ask Hitchcock)
Edited by Slavoj Žižek
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First As Tragedy, Then As Farce
by Slavoj Žižek -
For They Know Not What They Do
by Slavoj Žižek -
The Fragile Absolute
by Slavoj Žižek
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The Idea of Communism 2
Edited by Slavoj Žižek -
In Defense of Lost Causes
by Slavoj Žižek -
The Indivisible Remainder
by Slavoj Žižek
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Iraq
by Slavoj Žižek -
Lacan
Edited by Slavoj Žižek -
Less Than Nothing
by Slavoj Žižek
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Living in the End Times
by Slavoj Žižek -
Mapping Ideology
Edited by Slavoj Žižek -
The Metastases of Enjoyment
by Slavoj Žižek
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The Plague of Fantasies
by Slavoj Žižek -
Revolution at the Gates
by V. I. Lenin -
The Sublime Object of Ideology
by Slavoj Žižek
Other Books Of Interest
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The Idea of Communism 2
Edited by Slavoj Žižek