
Brutalism
Achille Mbembe(Author)
Duke University Press
Published on 9. January 2024
Book
Paperback/Softback
200 pages
978-1-4780-2558-0 (ISBN)
Description
In Brutalism, eminent social and critical theorist Achille Mbembe invokes the architectural aesthetic of brutalism to describe our moment, caught up in the pathos of demolition and production on a planetary scale. Just as brutalist architecture creates an affect of overwhelming weight and destruction, Mbembe contends that contemporary capitalism crushes and dominates all spheres of existence. In our digital, technologically focused era, capitalism has produced a becoming-artificial of humanity and the becoming-human of machines. This blurring of the natural and artificial presents a planetary existential threat in which contemporary society's goal is to precipitate the mutation of the human species into a condition that is at once plastic and synthetic. Mbembe argues that Afro-diasporic thought presents the only solution for breaking the totalizing logic of contemporary capitalism: repairing that which is broken, developing a new planetary consciousness, and reforming a community of humans in solidarity with all living things.
Reviews / Votes
"In an argument both elegant and urgent, Achille Mbembe focuses our attention on the African continent, which is not only where the forms of domination and deprivation that increasingly affect the entire globe are most fully deployed but also where the forms of reparation necessary for a future world can be glimpsed." - Michael Hardt, author of (The Subversive Seventies) "This is a fantastic translation of a vital text. The poetry, intensity, complexity, and subtlety that we have come to expect from Achille Mbembe's work are all here in Brutalism." - Laurent Dubois, translator of (Critique of Black Reason) "Brutalism offers some experimental analyses but is, on the whole, something quite different: a poetico-political vision, or a 'panoramic fresco,' as he promises in the introduction: a suggestive image painted in broad strokes of dark, vital, earthy colours-and accents of hopeful green."- Anders Dunker (Modern Times Review) "This book will be of interest to those working in Africana thought, global development, political theory, and philosophy and, more particularly, to anyone with an interest in ecology, migration, or innovations in technology. Highly recommended. Advanced undergraduates through faculty." (Choice) "Mbembe writes rhapsodic, delirious, poetic prose to make difficult, unassailable arguments in this book."
- Atreyee Majumder (Philosophy in Review) "Achille Mbembe's Brutalism is a thought-provoking and timely work that challenges readers to rethink the future of humanity in the face of rampant capitalism and technological advancement. Its relevance extends beyond academic circles, offering valuable insights for policymakers, activists, and anyone interested in the intersections of technology, ecology, and social justice. Mbembe's vision for a new planetary consciousness, rooted in solidarity and repair, is not just an intellectual exercise but a practical call for transformative action."
- Adeniyi Awoyemi (African Affairs)
More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
North Carolina
United States
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Dimensions
Height: 226 mm
Width: 150 mm
Thickness: 12 mm
Weight
306 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-4780-2558-0 (9781478025580)
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Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

Person
Achille Mbembe is Research Professor in History and Politics at the Wits Institute for Social and Economic Research, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. He is author of Necropolitics and Critique of Black Reason and coeditor of Johannesburg: The Elusive Metropolis, all also published by Duke University Press.
Content
Preface xi
Acknowledgments xvii
Introduction 1
1. Universal Domination 9
2. Fracturing 27
3. Animism and Viscerality 40
4. Virilism 58
5. Border-Bodies 78
6. Circulations 91
7. The Community of Captives 105
8. Potential Humanity and the Politics of the Living 125
Conclusion 147
Notes 151
Index 179
Acknowledgments xvii
Introduction 1
1. Universal Domination 9
2. Fracturing 27
3. Animism and Viscerality 40
4. Virilism 58
5. Border-Bodies 78
6. Circulations 91
7. The Community of Captives 105
8. Potential Humanity and the Politics of the Living 125
Conclusion 147
Notes 151
Index 179