French Literature Reviews - 2026
A. Mbembe, Brutalism
Philosophy, Anthropology and Ideas
Brutalism
Achille MBEMBE
La Découverte
February 2020
ISBN: 9782348057496
Number of pages: 246
Every sphere of existence is now permeated by capital, and human societies are henceforth organized according to a single guiding principle: digital computation. Yet, even as everything drives toward an unprecedented unification of the planet, the old world of bodies and distances, matter and expanses, spaces and borders persists through metamorphosis. This transformation of the horizon of calculation is paradoxically paired with a spectacular resurgence of animism, expressed not through the worship of ancestors, but through the cult of the self and our multiple doubles—objects.
With humanity's becoming-artificial and its counterpart, the machine's becoming-human, a new kind of existential trial has begun. Being is now experienced solely as an indissolubly human and non-human assemblage. The reduction of force to the ultimate truth of being marks humanity's entry into its final age: the age of the fabricable being within a manufactured world. Achille Mbembe terms this era "brutalism"—the great iron age of our epoch, the weight of raw materials.
The transformation of humanity into matter and energy is the ultimate project of brutalism. By detailing the monumentality and gigantism of such a project, this essay argues for a refounding of the human community in solidarity with all living things, which can only be achieved on the condition that what has been broken is repaired.
View the book on the publisher's website...
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Achille Mbembe’s Brutalism belongs to the tradition of contemporary critical theory and postcolonial philosophy, expanding his previous inquiries into power and sovereignty. In this work, Mbembe addresses the contemporary intersection of global capitalism, digital technology, and ecological crisis. The concept of brutalism, drawing on the architectural term associated with raw materials and monumental scale, is repurposed here to describe a societal condition where humanity is treated as raw material to be processed. This philosophical critique examines how digital computation and artificial systems redefine what it means to be human in the twenty-first century.
The book helps readers confront pressing questions about the future of human coexistence, the ethical implications of digital surveillance, and the survival of the biosphere under intense capitalist exploitation. By advocating for a refounding of the human community, Mbembe offers a path forward centered on repair and ecological solidarity. This text is highly valuable for scholars and students of philosophy, political science, environmental humanities, and postcolonial studies, as well as anyone interested in understanding the profound technological and metaphysical shifts of our era.
You can read an article about this work on en-attendant-nadeau.fr...