An Introduction to Contemporary Italian Thought - by Tim Christiaens & Joost de Bloois & Stijn de Cauwer (Hardcover)

About the Book

This introduction reveals its relevance to key contemporary issues, from digitization of work to environmentalism, war and decolonization.

Book Synopsis

Over the past three decades, Italian thought has emerged as a major field within continental philosophy. But what are the latest developments since Italian theory rose to a peak of popularity in the 2000s? This book offers an accessible and incisive introduction to contemporary Italian thought, revealing above all its continued relevance to some of the most pressing political, social and ethical conflicts today.

Broadening the idea of Italian thought beyond biopolitics, An Introduction to Contemporary Italian Thought engages with a number of leading and upcoming philosophers, including Silvia Federici, Rosi Braidotti, Donatella di Cesare, Emanuele Coccia, Sandro Mezzadra, Franco 'Bifo' Berardi and Federico Luisetti. It demonstrates how Italian theory resonates in a wide variety of current debates, from digital technology, pandemics and populism to cyberfascism, environmentalism and decolonization. This not only uncovers the fruitfulness of Italian philosophy but further allows for fresh perspectives on debates dominated by well-trodden and often dated arguments. In consideration of populism, for instance, this book does not so much examine Donald Trump but rather turns to Silvio Berlusconi and Giorgia Meloni, just as its discussions of the digitization of work look beyond Silicon Valley to working conditions in EU and Global South from the perspective of Italian (post)workerism, and the Anthropocene is considered in light of radical zoological egalitarianism as it emerges in contemporary Italian thought.

Tackling head-on the complex and porous notion of what constitutes 'Italian thought', Christiaens, De Bloois and De Cauwer bring new understanding to contemporary Italian theory and, with it, novel perspectives on current critical issues.

Review Quotes

An essential guide to Italian thought blending historical insights with contemporary debates on biopolitics, posthumanism, and environmentalism. Perfect for anyone exploring Italian intellectual traditions and their impact on contemporary socio-political discourse.
Federica Pedriali, Professor of Literary Metatheory and Modern Italian Studies, University of Edinburgh, UK

In this remarkable study, Tim Christiaens, Joost de Bloois, and Stijn De Cauwer significantly increase our understanding of a body of contemporary thought that is as undoubtedly influential as it is difficult to pin down. While grounded in the foundational contributions of well-known figures like Agamben, Negri, and Esposito, this work shows how a wide range of thinkers within the Italian diaspora have intervened into contemporary debates on biopolitics, neofascism, and other urgent issues.
Adam Kotsko, North Central College, USA

This introduction to contemporary Italian thought not only broadens its boundaries, but shifts the point of observation to the new global horizon in which we live. In this perspective, excellently articulated by the editors, alongside the paradigms of biopolitics and workerism, the great themes of the posthuman and postcolonial, of digitalization and environmentalism assume ever greater importance. The gaze towards the 'outside' that has characterized Italian Thought from the beginning is thus being filled with new contents and new languages.
Roberto Esposito, Professor of Theoretical Philosophy, Scuola Normale Superiore, Italy

About the Author

Tim Christiaens is Assistant Professor of Economic Ethics at Tilburg University, the Netherlands.

Joost de Bloois is Associate Professor of Cultural and Literary Analysis at the University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

Stijn De Cauwer is Assistant Professor at the Leiden University Centre for the Arts in Society, the Netherlands.