French Literature Reviews - 2026

A. Badiou, S. Zizek, The Idea of Communism
Philosophy, Anthropology and Ideas

The Idea of Communism
Alain Badiou, Slavoj Zizek, Collective

Published: 07/01/2010
Publisher: Nouvelles Editions Lignes
ISBN: 978-2-355-26043-8
EAN: 9782355260438
No. of pages: 347

Publisher's price: €22.00

In March 2009, about fifteen of the most prominent philosophers gathered in London for a conference organized at the initiative of Alain Badiou and Slavoj Zizek, entitled "On the Idea of Communism".
Beyond their speculative and political differences, they all reaffirmed their unwavering commitment to the word and the Idea of "communism". For them, it is the only word, the only idea capable of designating and thinking through the conditions for a "global alternative to the domination of capitalo-parliamentarism" (A. Badiou), and a "radical reform of the very structure of representative democracy" (S. Zizek). This volume brings together all the papers delivered at this conference, which was a major success.

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An article about this book can be read on the nonfiction.fr website:

"The New Clothes of the Communist Idea"

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This collection represents a pivotal moment in contemporary continental philosophy and political theory, emerging shortly after the 2008 global financial crisis. Rather than defending historical twentieth-century state regimes, the contributing thinkers seek to reclaim the philosophical concept of communism. They position it as a vital intellectual horizon against what Alain Badiou terms capitalo-parliamentarism—the structural convergence of global capitalism and representative democracy. By decoupling the term from its historical failures, the essays attempt to restore its status as a radical critique of contemporary political and economic structures.

The volume addresses fundamental questions about the limits of modern liberal democracy and the possibility of imagining alternative political futures. Readers will find rigorous debates on how to conceptualize collective action, state power, and systemic reform in the twenty-first century. This work is highly valuable for students and scholars of political philosophy, critical theory, and contemporary French thought. It offers an essential entry point into the intellectual efforts of prominent European philosophers to revitalize radical political discourse in the face of contemporary global crises.