Towards a Theory of History in Gilles Deleuze

Abstract

Deleuze does not provide a theory of History. His thought has instead a profound anti-historicistic development. This does not imply that history is not a philosophical problem for him. On the contrary, his strong critical view on historicism requires new concepts suited for subverting historicism and for defining a new philosophy of the historical processus, a philosophy of Becoming. The basis of some of the key-concepts in the philosophy of Deleuze, such as Event or Virtual, can be found in his complex thinking on Time. The development of these concepts is based upon a rich dialogue with the philosophy of Bergson, where Nietzsche and Spinoza are always present. We think that the Bergsonian axis in Deleuze's thought plays a very important role, especially in the context of the radical pursuit of negating historicism. This approach differentiates the Deleuze mechanics of history from the Foucault critical history, and underlines their different interpretations of the Nietzsche Genealogy.