Deleuze and Guattari and Fascism

Associate Professor of Media and Culture Studies Rick Dolphijn and Emeritus University Professor Rosi Braidotti are the editors of the recently published book ‘Deleuze and Guattari and Fascism’. In this publication, a range of international contributors place the philosophy of Gilles Deleuze (1925-1995) and Félix Guattari (1930-1992) in the context of contemporary fascism.

Rise of fascism

In the philosophical framework of Deleuze and Guattari, and in subsequent scholarship, anti- and non-fascist ethics are concealed. Their ‘new philosophy’ is engaged and situated, asking us to map pressing issues – not by opposing them, but by identifying how they are part of the everyday and of ourselves.

The current global rise of fascism demands rigid and careful analysis, Dolphijn and Braidotti argue. And the concepts and themes provided by Deleuze (and Guattari) can help us chart its micro and macro politics. All of the contributions in this volume have a keen eye on the practices of fascism today, meaning that they all show us, very much in line with Deleuze’s thinking, how fascism works.

The book is organised in three parts. The first part (‘21st Century Fascisms’) focuses on the global threats technologies and algorithmic realities. The second part (‘Situated Fascisms’) holds analyses of fascisms at work in different parts of the contemporary world. The third part (‘Patriarchal Fascism’) deals with patriarchal fascism and offers concrete case-studies of sexualised and genderised modes of oppression.