French Theory in South America

Abstract

IN SOUTH AMERICA Janell Watson Throughout his life as a psychother apist, activist, and theorist, Felix Guattari sought ways to make polit ical parties, militant groups, insti tutions, and analysis function more openly and less hierarchically. His aim was to foster subjectivities that would be freer, richer, and more singular than the standardized sub jectivities made available by Inte grated World Capitalism. Newly translated into English, Molecular Revolution in Brazil offers engaging and lively reflections on this prob lematic. book is not, however, one of Guattari's major theoretical works and, despite thematic reso nances, is not representative of his mature monographs.1 It consists mainly of bits of lecture interspersed with conversations from a trip to Brazil. This book is more a kind of travel journal than a work of philosophy, psychoanalysis or poli tics, wrote Guattari for the back cover of the first Brazilian edition. Having achieved a certain notori ety in France as coauthor (with Gilles Deleuze) of Anti-Oedipus (1983; L'Anti-Oedipe, 1972) and A Thousand Plateaus (1987; Mille Pla teaux, 1980) as well as for his political militancy, in 1982 Guattari trav eled throughout Brazil at the invi tation of Brazilian psychoanalyst Suely Rolnik. Her original proposal for a series of university lectures was quickly modified by Guattari, who favored meetings, talks, and conversations in mostly nonaca demic venues, hosted by a variety of groups, including the Workers' Molecular Revolution in Brazil by Felix Guattari and Suely Rolnik. Translated by Karel Clapshow and Brian Holmes. New York: