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‘Who is a Negator of History?’ Revisiting the Debate over Left Fascism 50 Years after 1968

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  30 January 2019

ROCHELLE DUFORD
ROCHELLE DUFORD*
Affiliation:
UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA [email protected]
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Abstract

This paper revisits a debate dating from 1968 over the existence of left fascism and the role of theory and praxis in combating it. I trace the contours of the debate through the philosophy of history as it is delineated by Adorno, Deleuze, Foucault, and Marcuse. This positions the existence of left-wing fascism as a question concerning the role of history and futurity in thought and action. Specifically, the debate is formed by disagreement over the possibility of spontaneous action unconditioned by authoritarian social structures. I argue that Adorno and Foucault both require the use of history in service of liberation, while Deleuze and Marcuse seek to negate history in order to develop a new world in which the subject might be free. Lastly, I provide contemporary context to this unresolved debate, ultimately arguing that both sides of the debate must be considered in irresolvable dialectical tension with the other.

Keywords

Theodor AdornoGilles DeleuzeMichel FoucaultHerbert Marcusefascism
Type
Articles
Information
Journal of the American Philosophical Association , Volume 5 , Issue 1 , Spring 2019 , pp. 59 - 77
Copyright
Copyright © American Philosophical Association 2019 

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