About this title: Philosopher, cultural critic, and agent provocateur Zizek constructs a fascinating new framework to look at the forces of violence in the world.
Note: This is a general synopsis. Each listing is described below.
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Picador
Date Published: 2008
ISBN-13:9780312427184ISBN:0312427182
Description: New. Brand New! Buy with confidence-your satisfaction is guaranteed at B-Logistics! Due to the large scale of our operation, we do not have access to the specific contents/condition of our items. Please note that Expedited shipping is not available at this time. read more
Binding: Softcover
Publisher: Picador USA
Date Published: 2008-07-22
ISBN-13:9780312427184ISBN:0312427182
Description: NEW. Softcover. From an inventory that is 100% brand-new, 100% direct from the publishers' distribution channel. We carry NO pre-owned, NO remaindered. We pack in CARDBOARD to ensure the pristine quality is maintained. (Bubble-wrap alone is NOT sufficient to protect from USPS equipment. ) Guaranteed brand-NEW, protected with CARDBOARD, your satisfaction is guaranteed. BKLUVID: 9780312427184. read more
Binding: Softcover
Publisher: Picador
Date Published: 2008
ISBN-13:9780312427184ISBN:0312427182
Description: New, Publisher overstock, may have small remainder mark. Excellent condition, never read, purchased from publisher as excess inventory. read more
Binding: Softcover
Publisher: Picador
Date Published: 2008
ISBN-13:9780312427184ISBN:0312427182
Description: New, Publisher overstock, may have small remainder mark. Excellent condition, never read, purchased from publisher as excess inventory. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: St Martins Pr
Date Published: 2008
ISBN-13:9780312427184ISBN:0312427182
Description: Philosopher, cultural critic, and agent provocateur Zizek constructs a fascinating new framework to look at the forces of violence in the world. read more
"Zizek is famous for translating the complexities of Lacan into the language of pop culture, and in this book he approaches the subject of systematic violence with the same spirit of irreverent psychoanalysis. A very rewarding short study on injustice, fanaticism, and M. Night Shyamalan."
"He's got some great stuff here, but, as always, focus and coherency are some of Zizek's sacrifices, lost in order to gain humour, vivacity, and a wide-ranging list of topics. Is he recycling his material sometimes, or just bringing a consistent critical interrogation to bear on multiple subjects in different books? Well, if you've read enough to really answer that, then you probably have bigger concerns with Zizek. Other than those hesitations, Violence is an excellent book on a very important subject."
"Here is a slightly patronizing way of summarizing the methodology of Slovenian philosopher, Slavoj Zizek; address a relevant social issue (such as violence) and certain ideological perspectives that have been applied to it, cut and paste seemingly disparate examples of high and low culture arbitrarily throughout the text, draw reaching connections between the two, and hopefully attempt to arrive at an intelligible conclusion or thesis. This became apparent during my reading of Violence, part of Picador's BIG IDEA'S/small books series and what is, more or less, Zizek's most accessible work to date.
It starts out with the relatively lucid premise or distinction of three types of violence; subjective (clearly identifiable, direct), symbolic (language or forms of), and systemic (objective; political and economic). After the groundwork is laid out for this commentary on violence, Zizek then starts in on his typical fugue-like series of a variety of subchapters. In each of these, he'll be bringing up a good deal of Lacan, Hegel, and Marx. Approaching surface-level, logical assessments of violence with paradoxical and ironic reasoning, Zizek rambles on about subjects such as the Paris riots of 2005, Bill Gates and subversive entrepreneurship, torture, religious fundamentalism, atheism, and Benjamin's concept of Divine Violence.
I'm not even going to attempt to paraphrase the respective chapters of Violence, and I'll take the deserved criticism for my own lazy criticism here. However, I must say that I do this out of a dismissive attitude toward Zizek's writing style. He is like a kid in the candy store of cultural theory; too excited by the endless possibility of example and analogy at hand to really make a focused point. One second he is criticizing Sam Harris and his controversial, but rational, opinions on political torture, then he suddenly makes the transition into the "Judeo-Christian-Freudian" (ugh) weight of the concept of the Lacanian notion of the Neighbor and the significance of the physical distance and proximity of this Neighbor (the Other being tortured) to the level of ease with which one is able to torture. Granted, he is still following Harris (sort of), but his "point" here is so utterly bloated, and the ones that follow are even more digressive and trivial.
The man basically needs to stick to public lectures and debates, and even those can be interminable. Maybe I'm not even making the greatest point about what is wrong with his writing, but at around page 170, I was about to throw this book against the wall. He's good for an occasional, cultural-studies-type joke, but as I've said before, the man is a completely shallow thinker."
"Slavoj Zizek is a radioactive intellect, with the ability to threaten the integrity of those well accepted notions in society, such as politeness and love. He emits radical particles of ideas that have to be read and understood if one is to assume a legitimate understanding of the things, notions, ideas and ideals we espouse in our daily lives.
Violence is a book which confronts the notion of violence as an external force acting to dislodge our assumed sensible cultural and political institutions. It inverts the notion, in true Zizek fashion, by pointing out the true violence imbedded in these very institutions. What he calls a systemic violence which keeps us all in check. This is an important contribution which builds on Foucault's bio-power and exposes the horror of self governance and the norming of the individual.
Throughout the book we have pearls of wisdom, which pinpoint the uneasiness we feel about some things that we just could not put our finger on, and brings it to light in an entertaining and provocative manner.
Zizek deserves to be read, and studied with each idea a potential thesis."
We guarantee every item's condition, as described on Alibris. If you are not satisfied that an item is as described, return your purchase for a refund.
rating
