Immanence and Micropolitics: Sartre, Merleau-Ponty, Foucault and Deleuze (Taking on the Political)

## Maps the context and development of immanence and micropolitics, from Sartre to Deleuze, via Merleau-Ponty and Foucault Christian Gilliam argues that a philosophy of ‘pure’ immanence is integral to the development of an alternative understanding of ‘the political’; one that re-orients our understanding of the self toward the concept of an unconscious or ‘micropolitical’ life of desire. He argues that here, in this ‘life’, is where the power relations integral to the continuation of post-industrial capitalism are most present and most at stake. Through proving its philosophical context, lineage and political import, Gilliam ultimately justifies the conceptual necessity of immanence in understanding politics and resistance, thereby challenging the claim that ontologies of ‘pure’ immanence are either apolitical or politically incoherent. Christian Gilliam Argues That A Philosophy Of Pure Immanence Is Integral To The Development Of An Alternative Understanding Of The Political; One That Re-orients Our Understanding Of The Self Toward The Concept Of An Unconscious, Or Micropolitical, Life Of Desire. Through Proving Its Philosophical Context, Lineage And Political Import, Gilliam Shows That Immanence Is Necessary Understanding Politics And Resistance. Machine Generated Contents Note: Ontology And Desire In Contemporary Thought -- Chapter Outlines -- 1. Sartre And The Instigation Of Immanence -- The First Stage Phenomenology And The Transcendental Ego -- The Second Stage The Body And Lived Experience -- The Third Stage The Critique And Sartre's Micropolitics -- Existential Ethics And Immanent Freedom -- Conceptual Limits -- 2. Merleau-ponty And The Fold Of The Flesh -- The Crisis Of Modern Thought -- Phenomenology Reconsidered Via The Body -- Existential Ethics And Authenticity Revisited -- Merleau-ponty's Self-criticism And Immanent Critique -- Folded Flesh As N-dimensional Depth -- Tender Is The Flesh -- 3. Foucault And The Force Of Power-knowledge -- The Order Of Things And Foucault's Relation To Phenomenology -- Archaeology And The Logic Of Dispersion As Fold -- From Archaeology To Genealogy -- Power As Force Relation, Knowledge As Segment -- Double-conditioning -- The Subject And Ethics -- From Pleasure To Desire -- 4. Deleuze And The Micropolitics Of Desire -- Transcendental Empiricism -- The Will To Power As Disjunctive Fold -- The Double-axiom Of Thought And Immanent Ethics -- Desiring-production (micropolitical) -- Social Production (macropolitical) -- How To Become A Body Without Organs/what Can A Body Do? -- Conclusion: From Immanence To Micropolitics -- The Three Disjunctions Of Micropolitics -- The Three Disjunctions Of Resistance -- A Dangerous Opportunity. Christian Gilliam. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Immanence and Micropolitics 4 Copyright 5 Contents 6 Preface and Acknowledgements 8 Introduction 12 Ontology and Desire in Contemporary Thought 15 Chapter Outlines 25 1. Sartre and the Instigation of Immanence 32 The First Stage: Phenomenology and the Transcendental Ego 35 The Second Stage: the Body and Lived Experience 45 The Third Stage: the Critique and Sartre’s Micropolitics 55 Existential Ethics and Immanent Freedom 60 Conceptual Limits 63 2. Merleau-Ponty and the Fold of the Flesh 67 The Crisis of Modern Thought 68 Phenomenology Reconsidered via the Body 73 Existential Ethics and Authenticity Revisited 80 Merleau-Ponty’s Self-Criticism and Immanent Critique 87 Folded Flesh as n-dimensional Depth 90 Tender is the Flesh 100 3. Foucault and the Force of Power-Knowledge 106 The Order of Things and Foucault’s Relation to Phenomenology 108 Archaeology and the Logic of Dispersion as Fold 112 From Archaeology to Genealogy 116 Power as Force Relation, Knowledge as Segment 118 Double-Conditioning 125 The Subject and Ethics 129 From Pleasure to Desire 135 4. Deleuze and the Micropolitics of Desire 142 Transcendental Empiricism 144 The Will to Power as Disjunctive Fold 148 The Double-Axiom of Thought and Immanent Ethics 157 Desiring-Production (Micropolitical 163 Social Production (Macropolitical 165 How to Become a Body without Organs/What Can a Body Do 173 Conclusion: From Immanence to Micropolitics 180 The Three Disjunctions of Micropolitics 183 The Three Disjunctions of Resistance 190 A Dangerous Opportunity 194 Bibliography 199 Index 214 Maps the context and development of immanence and micropolitics, from Sartre to Deleuze Christian Gilliam argues that a philosophy of pure immanence is integral to the development of an alternative understanding of the political; one that re-orients our understanding of the self toward the concept of an unconscious or micropolitical life of desire. He argues that here, in this life, is where the power relations integral to the continuation of post-industrial capitalism are most present and most at stake. Through proving its philosophical context, lineage and political import, Gilliam ultimately comes to outline and justify the conceptual importance and necessity of immanence in understanding politics and resistance, thereby challenging the claim that ontologies of pure immanence are either apolitical and/or politically incoherent. Christian Gilliam argues that a philosophy of ́0puré09 immanence is integral to the development of an alternative understanding of ́08the politicaĺ09; one that re-orients our understanding of the self toward the concept of an unconscious or ́08micropoliticaĺ09 life of desire. He argues that here, in this ́08lifé09, is where the power relations integral to the continuation of post-industrial capitalism are most present and most at stake. Through proving its philosophical context, lineage and political import, Gilliam ultimately comes to outline and justify the conceptual importance and necessity of immanence in understanding politics and resistance, thereby challenging the claim that ontologies of ́08puré09 immanence are either apolitical and/or politically incoherent Christian Gilliam maps the context and development of immanence and micropolitics, from Sartre to Deleuze. He argues that a philosophy of 'pure' immanence is integral to an alternative understanding of 'the political'; one that re-orients our understanding of the self toward the concept of an unconscious or 'micropolitical' life of desire Through proving its philosophical context, lineage and political import, Christian Gilliam shows that immanence is necessary understanding politics and resistance.