Working from the premise that May '68 is a shorthand that delimits an intensive decade of global revolt, Jason Demers documents the cross-pollination of French philosophy, international activist movements, and American countercultures. From the assassinations of Martin Luther King, Jr. and George Jackson to the revolt at Columbia University, the 1968 Democratic National Convention, Woodstock, and the Weather Underground, Demers writes French theory into a constellation of American events and icons uncontained by national borders.

More than a compelling new take on the history of theory, The American Politics of French Theory develops concepts gleaned from the work of Derrida, Deleuze, Guattari, and Foucault, providing new tools for thinking about translation, theory, and politics. By recontextualizing "French theory" within a complex fabric of mass communication and global revolt, Demers demonstrates why it is politically potent and methodologically necessary to think of translation associatively.

About the Author
Jason Demers is an instructor in the Department of English at the University of Regina.

Reviews

"Demers treats the relationship between French theory and American politics as associative and dynamic rather than as causal and linear. He writes deftly across cultures and established narratives, linking texts to politics both empirically and imaginatively - a difficult undertaking that involves managing an extensive secondary as well as primary literature."

-- Carolyn J. Dean, Yale University * H-France Review *
"Demers' book provides a new and stimulating perspective on thinkers who, to many of us, have become all too familiar." -- Michael C. Behrent, Appalachian State University * Journal of Modern History *


Awards
Winner of The Robert K. Martin prize awarded by the Canadian Association for American Studies 2022 (Canada).



Book Information
ISBN 9781487504489
Author Jason Demers
Format Hardback
Page Count 232
Imprint University of Toronto Press
Publisher University of Toronto Press
Weight(grams) 480g
Dimensions(mm) 231mm * 155mm * 28mm