‘The Fool’ Revisited: The Making of Žižek as Sacrificial Public Intellectual

Eliran Bar-El,Patrick Baert

doi:10.1177/17499755211007243

Abstract

This article provides a sociological explanation for the global emergence of Slavoj Žižek as a public intellectual. It presents an integrative account encompassing both personal and institutional aspects. Drawing on positioning theory and performative frameworks, the article contributes to the sociology of intellectuals, as well as to the vast ‘Žižek-literature’ that focuses on his philosophical content or political activities. We analyse the distinctiveness of Žižek’s performances, arguing that Žižek acts as a ‘sacrificial intellectual’: he plays ‘the fool’ and relies on irony to undermine the traditional role of the authoritative intellectual. Within the context of the digital public sphere and declining intellectual authority, Žižek’s unique form of positioning has been particularly effective and has contributed to his celebrity status.

Highlights

This article provides a sociological explanation for the global emergence of Slavoj Žižek as a public intellectual
For Berlin, Hess held on to his contradictory positioning because he was convinced that it provided the bedrock for a new political future; this identity-suicide undermined his intellectual and public legitimacy
We show how Žižek’s ‘foolish’ performance positioned him as a sacrificial intellectual and how this contributed to the making of his global brand

Summary

Performing the Sacrificial Intellectual

Žižek had already differentiated himself from other intellectuals during his graduate studies. In the process of acquiring the position of a global intellectual, Žižek’s interventions resonated further with even more diverse publics, commentating on global cultural and political issues, as his commentary of the popular motion-picture The Matrix demonstrates. Released on 31 March 1999, this movie struck a chord with a new media-savvy generation; it touched upon key theoretical and literary ideas in the context of digital technology, such as Plato’s cave allegory By commentating on this film, Žižek positioned himself as a relevant intellectual, in tune with the times, dealing with issues of global public interest and with emerging trends. This reflexivity contributed further to the contradictory nature of Žižek’s intellectual performance, using as he did the media forces whilst taking a critical stand towards them

Conclusion

Author biographies