Guest editor's introduction

Authors

Ian Buchanan, University of WollongongFollow

RIS ID

63333

Publication Details

Buchanan, I. 1997, 'Guest editor's introduction', Social Semiotics, vol. 7, no. 2, pp. 109-112.

Abstract

When Foucault mischievously said this century might be known as Deleuzian he was perhaps suggesting that posterity would come to see Deleuze as a founder of discursivity. While the issue of naming-rights for the present century may never be settled, it seems quite clear that to many this is already Deleuze's role. For not only does his work make possible 'a certain number of analogies' as a founder of discursivity should, according to Foucault, it also allows 'a certain number of differences' (Foucault 1984: 114). That is to say, the impact of Deleuze's work on late twentieth-century thought can be measured as much by the rise in the number of works taking a Deleuzian approach as by the emergence—and increasingly vigorous circulation—of the idea of being non-Deleuzian[l]. But before we bring out the champagne and celebrate Deleuze's entrance into the pantheon of great thinkers, we should probably take a moment to reflect on the implications of this elevation. This may be our last chance for sober thought on Deleuze.