French Literature Reviews - 2026
A. Fjeld, Jacques Rancière - Practicing Equality
Philosophy, Anthropology and Ideas
Jacques Rancière - Practicing Equality
Anders Fjeld
Publication date: 08/02/2018
Publisher: Michalon
Series: Le bien commun
ISBN: 978-2-84186-881-0
EAN: 9782841868810
No. of pages: 125 p.
Distancing himself from the emancipatory projects of the Enlightenment, Marxism, and critical sociology, the French philosopher Jacques Rancière asserts that we do not have to become equal. We must presuppose ourselves to be equal hic et nunc, and create and explore the consequences of this presupposition. Thus, rather than providing the principle for a better order to be constructed, the presupposition of equality suspends the established order and, in doing so, opens up other "landscapes of the possible": spaces for experimenting with the forms of knowledge, perceptions, and capacities that constitute our commons.
Jacques Rancière: Practicing Equality aims to reconstruct the key moments of the multifaceted intellectual journey leading to these ideas: his break with Althusserian Marxism and his exploration of 19th-century working-class archives; his fascination with the project of intellectual emancipation of the "ignorant schoolmaster" Joseph Jacotot; the formation of his political thought centered on equality and democracy; and, finally, the development of his aesthetic thought.
This journey does not culminate in a single concept of equality, but oscillates between three conceptions of equality—intellectual, political, and sensible—which call for a reassessment of Rancière's thought on modern democracy, opening up new conceptual potentials.
Anders Fjeld is a postdoctoral researcher at the Université catholique de Louvain and an associate researcher at Paris Diderot University. His work focuses on political subjectivation, the cleavages and continuities between political philosophy and political economy, and post-Marxism as a theoretical field.
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An article about this book can be read on nonfiction.fr:
Anders Fjeld reconstructs the intellectual trajectory of Jacques Rancière, tracing his departure from Althusserian Marxism through his engagement with nineteenth-century working-class archives and the educational theories of Joseph Jacotot. The study maps out how these formative encounters shaped a distinct political philosophy centered on the immediate presupposition of equality rather than a future social order. By examining the interplay between politics, aesthetics, and education, the book highlights how Rancière challenges traditional sociological and Marxist frameworks of emancipation to open new theoretical horizons for contemporary democratic thought.
Designed for researchers, students, and readers interested in contemporary continental philosophy and political theory, this volume offers a structured guide to understanding Rancière's complex framework. It serves as a valuable resource for those exploring post-Marxism, political subjectivation, and the intersections between philosophy, aesthetics, and social change. Scholars of modern French thought will find it particularly useful for clarifying the transitions between Rancière's earlier historical investigations and his later reflections on democracy and the sensible commons.