Recent political theory has shifted decidedly towards ontology, the 'science of being', and thus towards examining fundamental concepts of identity, difference, space, and time. This new focus has reinvigorated questions concerning the nature of power, meaning, truth and agency, inspiring novel approaches to individual and collective subjectivity, the emergence of political events and the relationship between desire and politics. In this new study, Nathan Widder shows how Deleuze's philosophy both inspires and presses beyond political theory's 'ontological turn'. Linking his thought to current political theory debates, Widder explains how Deleuze's philosophy and ontology of difference are cashed out through a micropolitics of creative and critical experimentation. He further demonstrates how Deleuze challenges ideas of identity and the subject that still dominate both political thought and practice today. Connecting Deleuze to key figures in both classical and contemporary political philosophy, from Plato and Aristotle to Hegel, Nietzsche, Lacan, and Foucault, this book will be of interest to students and scholars in political theory, philosophy, and related disciplines, looking to engage the emerging field of Deleuze studies.

French philosopher Gilles Deleuze and the psychiatrist-activist Félix Guattari’s 1980 book A Thousand Plateaus is widely recognized as a masterpiece of twentieth-century Continental philosophy. Until now, however, few scholars have dared to explain the book’s political importance. Deleuze’s Political Vision reconstructs Deleuze’s conception of pluralism, human nature, the social contract, liberalism, democracy, socialism, feminism, and comparative political theory. Unlike scholars who read Deleuze as a Marxist, author Nicholas Tampio argues that Deleuze was a cutting-edge liberal, concerned about protecting difference from what John Stuart Mill called the tyranny of the majority. The book brings Deleuze into conversation with other contemporary political theorists such as Hannah Arendt, William E. Connolly, Jürgen Habermas, Bruno Latour, Charles Mills, Martha Nussbaum, Carole Pateman, Abdolkarim Soroush, Leo Strauss, and Charles Taylor. Deleuze’s Political Vision translates Deleuze’s ideas into popular vernaculars to realize his political vision and reveal his work as essential to modern discussions of political theory and philosophy.

Philosophy After Deleuze provides a concise and accessible introduction to Deleuze in relation to philosophical inquiry. The book shows how Deleuze's work contributes to contemporary debates in each of the major areas of philosophy: metaphysics, ethics, aesthetics, and political philosophy. Hughes begins by examining Deleuze's style, aiming to explain and justify Deleuze's often complex and challenging use of language by placing it within a discussion of the ends and methods of philosophical inquiry. He goes on to examine each of the major fields of philosophy through Deleuze's key concepts, showing how Deleuze challenges, articulates and contributes to contemporary debates in a way that has practical applications for anyone doing philosophy today. This is the ideal introduction to Deleuze for any student of philosophy.

Deleuze's relationship with theology is a complex one. Indeed, there seem to be many possible objections to such an 'assemblage' taking place. In the first book of its kind to engage with this seemingly problematic dialogue, Kristien Justaert shows the ways in which Deleuze's thought can in fact advance issues in political and liberation theology in particular, while also exploring the important theological and spiritual aspirations contained in Deleuze's philosophy itself, as part of his lifelong quest for the 'Absolute'. Justaert examines the theological components in Deleuze's writings, investigating the theological potential of four notions that circle around the central Deleuzian concept of 'Life': immanence, spirituality, creativity and politics. The book goes on to connect Deleuze with both established theologies and possible theologies for the future, identifying areas in which Deleuze can contribute to the dynamics of contemporary theology, and argues that aspects of Deleuze's philosophy can enable theology to become more meaningful in a globalised world. This is the ideal introduction to Deleuzian theologies, and Deleuze's own theology, for advanced undergraduate and postgraduate students.

With clarity, precision and economy, Paul Patton synthesizes the full range of Deleuze's work. He interweaves with great dexterity motifs that extend from his early works, such as Nietzsche and Philosophy, to the more recent What is Philosophy? and his key works such as Anti-Oedipus and Difference and Repetition. Throughout, Deleuze and the Political demonstrates Deleuze's relevance to theoretical and practical concerns in a number of disciplines including philosophy, political theory, sociology, history, and cultural studies. Paul Patton also presents an outstandingly clear treatment of fundamental concepts in Deleuze's work, such as difference, power, desire, multiplicities, nomadism and the war machine and sets out the importance of Deleuze to poststructuralist political thought. It will be essential reading for anyone studying Deleuze and students of philosophy, politics, sociology, literature and cultural studies.

A critical and provocative exploration of the political, conceptual and cultural points of resonance between Deleuze's minor politics and Marx's critique of capitalist dynamics, engaging with Deleuze's missing work, The Grandeur of Marx. This book explores the core categories of communism and capital in conjunction with a wealth of contemporary and historical political concepts and movements - from the lumpenproletariat and anarchism, to Italian autonomia and Antonio Negri, immaterial labour and the refusal of work. This book will serve as an introduction to Deleuze's politics and the contemporary vitality of Marx for students and will challenge scholars in the fields of social and political theory, sociology and cultural studies.

"Explores the nature of time and its implications for questions of politics, ethics, and the self. Shows how a conception of time that breaks with common sense notions of chronological order can help us rethink the understandings of identity, difference, power, resistance, and overcoming"--Provided by publisher.