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\u201cPhilosophy and political activism have always been embedded in my life.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2014 Toni Negri, Revolution 13\/13<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
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Toni Negri has always personified, to me, the brilliance and inspiration of the activist philosopher. Always engaged, always focused on moving forward, not dwelling on our political losses or the negatives of oppression and domination\u2014Toni has been an exemplar of what it means to philosophize for social change and justice.<\/p>\n
So naturally, Toni was someone I had to speak with on the topic of revolutionary philosophers.<\/p>\n
Our conversation took place at his home in Paris and it covered a wide range of topics\u2014from his work on Spinoza, to his time in prison and his prison writings, to his activism and political engagement with workers, to the formation of the Autonomia Operaia (the workers\u2019 autonomy movement), to the role of the Frankfurt School and Foucault. Throughout, we focused on the essential relation between philosophy and activism.<\/p>\n
The conversation brings together many themes that we have developed over the course of Revolution 13\/13. We discussed at length Toni\u2019s time in prison and how he wrote and read while incarcerated\u2014ultimately writing on an Olivetti typewriter with access to a limited number of books. We discussed Hans-J\u00fcrgen Krahl and relationships to Marx\u2019s writings, and Lenin as well. We discussed Frantz Fanon\u2019s exemplarity. Our conversation touched on all the themes of this 13\/13 series.<\/p>\n
When asked to describe what \u201crevolution\u201d means to him, Toni Negri responds<\/a>, \u201cto constantly live and construct moments of novelty and rupture.\u201d This interview with Toni Negri is, I propose, one of those moments of novelty and rupture. I invite you to enjoy the conversation.<\/p>\n
Welcome to Revolution 11\/13!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
By Bernard E. Harcourt \u201cPhilosophy and political activism have always been embedded in my life.\u201d \u2014 Toni Negri, Revolution 13\/13 Toni Negri has always personified, to me, the brilliance and inspiration of the activist philosopher. Always engaged, always… Continue Reading