Minor philology: Aphorisms

Abstract

ABSTRACT This small aphoristic intervention aims to slightly shift fundamental concepts, canons, methods, and attitudes in the reemerging field of philology from the perspective of marginalized minority experience. Prompted by Tocqueville's formulations regarding the ‘tyranny of the majority,' these aphorisms equate the tactics of minor philology with those of guerilla warfare. The emphasis on mobility, commitment, and integration with larger currents has the potential, if not to render majoritarian tyranny ineffective, at least to mitigate it. The recapture of philological power by the minor allows the partial restoration of colonized traditions, reconfiguring distinct canons and connections across expansive world-textual fields.