IMPORTANT NEW BOOKS:

The Years Of Theory: Postwar French Thought To The Present
by Frederic Jameson
Verso, 2024

[Publication date: October 8, 2024]

 

Magisterial lectures on the major figures of French theory from 'America’s leading Marxist critic'

Fredric Jameson introduces here the major themes of French theory: existentialism, structuralism, poststructuralism, semiotics, feminism, psychoanalysis, and Marxism. In a series of accessible lectures, Jameson places this effervescent period of thought in the context of its most significant political conjunctures, including the Liberation of Paris, the Algerian War, the uprisings of May ’68, and the creation of the EU.

The philosophical debates of the period come to life through anecdotes and extended readings of work by the likes of Sartre, Beauvoir, Fanon, Barthes, Foucault, Althusser, Derrida, Deleuze, groups like Tel Quel and Cahiers du Cinéma, and contemporary thinkers such as Rancière and Badiou. Eclectic, insightful, and inspired, Jameson’s seminars provide an essential account of an intellectual moment comparable in significance to the Golden Age of Athens, historically fascinating and of persistent relevance.

 

REVIEWS:

 

"An intellectually rigorous overview of post–World War II French thought ... Tracing webs of influence, and rebellion, among them, Jameson conveys the intellectual vitality of a vastly changing world."

—Kirkus Reviews

"Jameson is one of the world’s most eminent cultural theorists, but he is also a peerless literary critic in the classical sense of the term."

—Terry Eagleton

"Probably the most important cultural critic writing in English today. It can be truly said that nothing cultural is alien to him."

—Colin McCabe

"The most significant Marxist thinker in American culture."

—Cornel West

"Jameson’s contributions to the critical theory, to the analysis of the forms and content of the world we live in, and to the empowering of the imagination to envision alternatives to the present are immeasurable. But more importantly, perhaps, his thinking has served to inspire others — artists, activists, critics, theorists, and students of all kinds — to extend his efforts."

—Robert T. Tally Jr., Jacobin

"An intellectual titan and one of the torchbearers of Marxist thought through the tenebrous night of neoliberalism"

—Kate Wagner, The Nation

"Jameson was arguably the most prominent Marxist literary critic in the English-speaking world… Criticism, as he understood it, could never be [easy], because of the complexity of its objects and its need to perpetually revise, refine and question its own procedures. To my mind, nobody did this as doggedly — or should I say as dialectically, with such a clearly articulated sense of the intellectual stakes — as Jameson."

—A.O. Scott, The New York Times

"The greatest intellectual titan of the past half-century…No one reads anything (not literature, not film, not even the uncannily lit corridors of a casino) quite like Jameson did, but to read him well, when you could, was to be dazzled by the gargantuan generosity of his mind."

—Jacob Brogan, The Washington Post

"The legendary literary critic Fredric Jameson...perceptively and lucidly discusses theory from the immediate postwar period to today. With one foot in the present and the other in the past, Jameson illustrates the unique political possibilities French philosophers opened over the course of five decades."

—Gregory Jones-Katz, Foreign Policy

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Fredric Jameson is Distinguished Professor of Comparative Literature at Duke University. Over the last several decades, he has developed an influential and richly nuanced understanding of the relationship between culture and political economy. He is a recipient of the Holberg International Memorial Prize and the Modern Language Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award. He is the author of many books, including The Political Unconscious, Postmodernism, or, The Cultural Logic of Late Capitalism, and Valences of the Dialectic.

 

 

Did It Happen Here?: Perspectives On Fascism and America
Edited by Daniel Steinmetz-Jenkins
W.W. Norton and Company, 2024

 

[Publication Date:  March 19, 2024]

 

An essential primer for the thoughtful citizen.

Since the election of Donald Trump, politicians, historians, intellectuals, and media pundits have been faced with a startling and urgent question: Are we threatened by fascism? Some see striking connections between our current moment and the tumultuous interwar period in Europe. But others question if these connections really reflect our current political moment or if they are another example of Eurocentrism and American provincialism speaking over a much more complex global political landscape.?

Did It Happen Here? collects, in one place, key texts from the sharpest minds in politics, history, and the academy beginning with classic pieces by Hannah Arendt, Angela Davis, Reinhold Niebuhr, Leon Trotsky, and others. The book’s contemporary contributors include Ruth Ben-Ghiat on the trivialization of the term “fascism,” Jason Stanley and Sarah Churchwell on the Black radical perspective, and Robert O. Paxton on Trump. These writers argue firmly that fascism is alive and well in America today, but another set of contemporary voices disagree. Samuel Moyn demonstrates the limitations of historical comparison. Rebecca Panovka examines the uses and abuses of Hannah Arendt’s work. Anton Jager and Victoria De Grazia make the case that the social and communal conditions necessary for fascism do not exist in the United States. Still others, like Priya Satia and Pankaj Mishra, are critical of the narrow framework of this debate and argue for a global perspective.

Did it Happen Here? brings together a range of brilliant intellectuals, offering vital takes on our evolving political landscape. The questions posed by editor Daniel Steinmetz-Jenkins is one that readers will be debating for decades to come. Is fascism significantly influencing―even threatening to dominate―modern American politics? Is it happening here?

REVIEWS:

 

"Brimming with insights from classic texts and contemporary scholars alike, Did It Happen Here? is a must-read collection for anyone wondering and worrying about the state of American democracy."

― Kevin M. Kruse, author of Fault Lines

"In recent years, there is perhaps no other topic that has sparked spirited debate among academics, politicians, and journalists more than fascism. This sharp, timely, and capacious collection masterfully peels back the layers of fascism―closely analyzing its historical roots, shifting meanings, global dimensions, and enduring impact on American society. This is a valuable contribution to modern political thought."
― Keisha N. Blain, co-editor of the #1 New York Times bestseller Four Hundred Souls: A Community History of African America, 1619–2019

"The ‘fascism debates’ of the Trump era say less about fascism or right-wing politics than the fault lines that divide Trump’s enemies on the liberal left. The Trump debate will fade, but the big questions explored in this thoughtfully curated volume will linger."

― Matthew Karp, author of The Vast Southern Empire

"Going well beyond the question of who or what deserves to be called a fascist, this unparalleled collection provides an urgently needed examination of American democracy in critical condition."

― Tara Zahra, author of Against the World

"Bringing together classic texts and contemporary interventions, this important volume catalogues the diverse meanings and instantiations of fascism. The essays think our present anew by probing the uses and limits of historical analogy and urging a comparative and transnational approach."
― Adom Getachew, author of Worldmaking after Empire: The Rise and Fall of Self-Determination

"A valuable read for anyone hoping for more insight into the direction of the country."

― Jessica T. Matthew, Foreign Affairs

"A timely collection of informed views."

― Kirkus Reviews

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Daniel Steinmetz-Jenkins is an assistant professor of history and social theory in the College of Social Studies at Wesleyan University and runs a regular interview series at the Nation. He lives in New Haven, Connecticut.