Jean-Francois Lyotard: The Interviews and Debates

About the Author

Jean-François Lyotard (1924-1998) was one of the most important French philosophers of the Twentieth Century. He was the author of classic philosophical texts such as Discourse, Figure; Libidinal Economy; The Differendand The Postmodern Condition: a report on knowledge.

Kiff Bamfordis Reader in Contemporary Art in the School of Art, Architecture and Design, Leeds Beckett University, UK. He is author of 'Lyotard and the figural in Performance, Art and Writing' (Bloomsbury, 2012) and 'Jean-François Lyotard: Critical Lives' (2017).

Product Description

Jean-François Lyotard (1924-1998) was one of the most important French philosophers of the Twentieth Century. His impact has been felt across many disciplines: sociology; cultural studies; art theory and politics. This volume presents a diverse selection of interviews, conversations and debates which relate to the five decades of his working life, both as a political militant, experimental philosopher and teacher. Including hard-to-find interviews and previously untranslated material, this is the first time that interviews with Lyotard have been presented as a collection.

Key concepts from Lyotard's thought – the differend, the postmodern, the immaterial – are debated and discussed across different time periods, prompted by specific contexts and provocations. In addition there are debates with other thinkers, including Emmanuel Levinas and Jacques Derrida, which may be less familiar to an Anglophone audience. These debates and interviews help to contextualise Lyotard, highlighting the importance of Marx, Freud, Kant and Wittgenstein, in addition to the Jewish thought which accompanies the questions of silence, justice and presence that pervades Lyotard's thinking.

Review

“Reading these interviews and statements, one is brought back to a period of intense thinking, that was never separated from passionate commitments and controversies. Whether agreeing or disagreeing – no longer always for the same reasons as then – one feels again the excitement, the surprise, the admiration Jean-François Lyotard could not avoid to produce with his interlocutors, even his opponents. With time passing, his stature as a philosopher, a critic and a public intellectual endures and grows” ―Etienne Balibar, Anniversary Chair in Modern European Philosophy, Kingston University London, UK

“For philosophers: myriad ideas to plunder. For historians: a trove on late-twentieth century intellectuals. For artists: a multitude of provocations. For activists: bitter lessons and sweet encouragement. For Lyotard: precious testimony to a wild and sensitive mind” ―James Williams, Honorary Professor of Philosophy¸ Deakin University, Australia

“This book brings together many of Lyotard's most important interviews and articles. Each chapter is accessibly written and the introduction is exemplary in giving the context of his works--a must have for those new to Lyotard as well as scholars of writings.” ―Peter Gratton, Associate Professor of Philosophy, Southeastern Louisiana University, USA