[D-G] Politics of desire and the 21st century

Charles J. Stivale ad4928 at wayne.edu
Wed May 4 09:45:20 PDT 2005


At 08:30 AM 5/4/2005 -0800, you wrote:
>So, I was reading an article by Badiou that was published in Le Monde on 
>the french ban on the hijab (islamic headscarf). I was struck by the 
>moments of strange conservativism in his tone, but then he moved into the 
>critique of sexuality as it exists now. And so I wondered (to pick up a 
>thread from an earlier discussion here) if the Deleuzian insistance on a 
>politics of desire was not a relic of the late 60's. Have we not already 
>acheived this proliferation of sexual desires and sexual identities and 
>found that they interfere very little in the movement of Capital. Perhaps 
>I am a little turned around here, been reading too many men in 
>uncomfortable pants (i.e. Zizek, Lacan, etc.) but isn't desire a dead end, 
>or better yet a dead road, for politics.
>
>Just want the discussion and then we can return to the "rhizomatic poetry 
>the sets my soul upon a line of flight to great Georgejacksonutopia of 
>escapes and failed escapes and lost lusts"
Dear Sid,
Great idea/line for discussion -- could you provide the ref to the 
Badiou/Le Monde piece and/or URL where I can download it? The reason I ask 
is that, having just taught a segment (to undergrads no less!) on the veil 
law, I hesitate to make any comments that swerve toward theory without 
having read how the author (in this case Badiou) expresses him/herself -- 
the various position on this issue get so nuanced.

FYI, I have had my students read the rather amazing Jane Kramer essay on 
this issue from The New Yorker Nov 22, 2004, "Taking the Veil".
thanks,
CJ Stivale


More information about the Deleuze-Guattari mailing list