In Althusser, The Infinite Farewell-originally published in Spanish and appearing here in English for the first time-Emilio de Ipola contends that Althusser's oeuvre is divided between two fundamentally different and at times contradictory projects. The first is the familiar Althusser, that of For Marx and Reading Capital. Symptomatically reading these canonical texts alongside Althusser's lesser-known writings, de Ipola reveals a second, subterranean current of thought that flows throughout Althusser's classic formulations and which only gains explicit expression in his later works. This subterranean current leads Althusser to move toward an aleatory materialism, or a materialism of the encounter. By explicating this key aspect of Althusser's theoretical practice, de Ipola revitalizes classic debates concerning major theoretico-political topics, including the relationship between Marxism, structuralism, and psychoanalysis; the difference between ideology, philosophy, and science; and the role of contingency and subjectivity in political encounters and social transformation. In so doing, he underscores Althusser's continuing importance to political theory and Marxist and post-Marxist thought.

About the Author
Emilio de Ipola is Distinguished Professor at the University of Buenos Aires and the author of several books in Spanish.

Etienne Balibar is Emeritus Professor of Philosophy at Universite Paris Nanterre, and the author of Equaliberty, also published by Duke University Press.

Reviews
"Althusser, The Infinite Farewell is a pleasing, innovative and useful book on the philosophy of Louis Althusser. . . . A significant addition to the secondary literature on Althusser, based on both his own biographical experience and some serious digging in the archives. This short book deserves a place on the shelves of all of those who value Althusser as a serious thinker." -- Derek Wall * Marx & Philosophy Review of Books *



Book Information
ISBN 9780822370246
Author Emilio de Ipola
Format Paperback
Page Count 184
Imprint Duke University Press
Publisher Duke University Press
Weight(grams) 295g