Jean-Francois Lyotard: The Interviews and Debates

by Jean-Francois Lyotard, Kiff Bamford

Overview

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781350081314
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	05/28/2020
Pages:	216
Product dimensions:	6.14(w) x 9.29(h) x 0.65(d)

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 Bamford is 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).

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements vii

1 'Publish or perish!': An introduction to the interviews and debates Kiff Bamford 1

2 Slowly, tenderly by Philippe Bonnefis, Emory University, 1998 13

3 Letter to Jean-François Lyotard from Gilles Deleuze undated (c. 1975-6) 15

4 On theory: An interview with Brigitte Devismes, VH 101, 1970 17

5 'Doing away with the illusion of polities' with Gilbert Lascault, La Quinzaine littéraire, 1972 29

6 Remarks on Jean-Francois Lyotard by Gilles Deleuze, 'A Short Review of Discourse, Figure', La Quinzaine littéraire, 1972 33

7 'The "intensities" are what imports, not the meaning' with Christian Descamps, La Quinzaine littéraire, 1975 35

8 Concerning the Vincennes Psychoanalysis Department Joint letter by Jean-François Lyotard and Gilles Deleuze, Les Temps modernes, 1975 39

9 A 'Barbarian' speaks about socialism with Bernard-Henri Lévy, Le Nouvel Observateur, 1976 41

10 'Incommensurable narrations' with Patrick de Haas, Art Press International, 1977 45

11 Will Vincennes survive? with Christian Descamps, La Quinzaine littéraire, 1980 49

12 Debate on 'Discussions, or: Phrasing "after Auschwitz" with Jacques Derrida; Sarah Kofman; Maurice De Gandillac; Jean-Luc Nancy et al. Les fins de l'homme: À partir du travail de Jacques Derrida, 1980 53

13 'In reading your work…' with Georges Van Den Abbeele; including the short text 'Decor' by Jean-François Lyotard, Diacritics, 1984 59

14 Philosophy: The case for the defence with Jacques Derrida, Le Monde, 1984 67

15 Les Immatériaux: 'A staging' with Jacques Saur and Philippe Bidaine, CNAC Magazine, 1985 71

16 Les Immatériaux: A conversation with Bernard Blistène, Flash Art, 1985 77

17 Chrysalide's little narratives with Élie Théofilakis, Modernes et Après? 'Les Immatériaux', 1985 87

18 Otherwise than knowing Debate with Emmanuel Levinas at the Centre Sèvres, Autrement que Savoir, Paris, 1986 95

19 The Enlightenment, the sublime: Philosophy and aesthetics with Willem van Reijen and Dick Veerman, 1987, Les Carriers de Philosophic 105

20 Lyotard and Vidal-Naquet talking about the Algerian war still with Pierre Vidal-Naquet, Interview by Antoine de Gaudemar, Libération, 1989 129

21 Before the Law, after the Law with Elisabeth Weber, 1991. From Questioning Judaism: Interviews by Elisabeth Weber, 2004 135

22 'What is just?' (Ou Justesse) with Richard Kearney, 1994. From States of Mind: Dialogues with Contemporary Thinkers on the European Mind, 1995 149

23 Responding questions with Eberhard Gruber, 1995. From The Hyphen: Between Judaism and Christianity, 1999 159

24 "The real extreme' with Gérald Sfez, Rue Descartes, 1995 169

25 'La Vie de Malraux (Malraux's life) must be read as a collection of legends' with Philippe Bonnefis, Magazine littéraire, 1996 173

Notes 179

Bibliography 192

Select general bibliography 195

Index 197

Editorial Reviews

"[T]his is a book to accompany the reading of Lyotard’s work, and, as such, it is not a minor accompaniment, but a full and enriching one." - Reseñas

“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

From the Publisher