Texts in progress
1. Cognitive Labor, Buried Treasure, Fictive Capital. 2. Global Copyright. 3. Occupy, Evacuate, Decolonize. 4. See the outline for the book, Contract & Contagion: From Biopolitics to Oikonomia. 5. See the pre-print of “The Time of the Contract: Insurance, Contingency,
Texts in progress
1. Cognitive Labor, Buried Treasure, Fictive Capital. 2. Global Copyright. 3. Occupy, Evacuate, Decolonize. 4. See the outline for the book, Contract & Contagion: From Biopolitics to Oikonomia. 5. See the pre-print of “The Time of the Contract: Insurance, Contingency,
Annotation: Infrastructure, Infra-political
Arendt had insisted that politics is premised not on a subject (not on the zoon politikon, as Aquinas reading Aristotle would have it), but on the infra, the unassimilable plurality of that which lies between. This is not a question
Annotation: Infrastructure, Infra-political
Arendt had insisted that politics is premised not on a subject (not on the zoon politikon, as Aquinas reading Aristotle would have it), but on the infra, the unassimilable plurality of that which lies between. This is not a question
Groundbreaking
In the wake of the elections in France and Greece, finance is divided as to whether it should flee the Eurozone completely, or take out more insurance on German bonds, or (in the event of no coalition government being formed
Groundbreaking
In the wake of the elections in France and Greece, finance is divided as to whether it should flee the Eurozone completely, or take out more insurance on German bonds, or (in the event of no coalition government being formed
Contract & Contagion: From Biopolitics to Oikonomia
Contract and Contagion presents a theoretical approach for understanding the complex shifts of post-Fordism and neoliberalism by way of a critical reading of contract, and through an exploration of the shifting politics of the household. The complex interactions of the
Contract & Contagion: From Biopolitics to Oikonomia
Contract and Contagion presents a theoretical approach for understanding the complex shifts of post-Fordism and neoliberalism by way of a critical reading of contract, and through an exploration of the shifting politics of the household. The complex interactions of the
Cognitive Labor, Buried Treasure, and Fictive Capital
In 1843, the Philadelphia Dollar Newspaper published the winning entry in its writing competition, awarding Edgar Allan Poe the sum of $100 for his short story “The Gold-Bug.” Written in the wake of the financial collapse of 1836 and the
Cognitive Labor, Buried Treasure, and Fictive Capital
In 1843, the Philadelphia Dollar Newspaper published the winning entry in its writing competition, awarding Edgar Allan Poe the sum of $100 for his short story “The Gold-Bug.” Written in the wake of the financial collapse of 1836 and the
Proliferating Limits: Capitalist Dynamics, Oikonomia and Border Technologies
Implicit or not, there persists a view of capitalism in which the border is understood as extraneous to the inherent tendencies of capital. In this, capital and the state are regarded as distinctive logics, the first inclined to overtake limits,
Proliferating Limits: Capitalist Dynamics, Oikonomia and Border Technologies
Implicit or not, there persists a view of capitalism in which the border is understood as extraneous to the inherent tendencies of capital. In this, capital and the state are regarded as distinctive logics, the first inclined to overtake limits,
The Time of the Contract: Insurance, Contingency and the Arrangement of Risk
This essay contends that the contractual is a technique for the reinstatement of a specifically capitalist determinism in the midst of uncertain circumstances and in the face of an indefinite future. Taking the indistinction between the time of life and
The Time of the Contract: Insurance, Contingency and the Arrangement of Risk
This essay contends that the contractual is a technique for the reinstatement of a specifically capitalist determinism in the midst of uncertain circumstances and in the face of an indefinite future. Taking the indistinction between the time of life and
Queer Economies and Speculative Limits
In his discussion of global modernity, Appadurai argued that “in a world in which both points of departure and points of arrival are in cultural flux,” “the invention of tradition (and of ethnicity, kinship, and other identity-markers) can become slippery.”
Queer Economies and Speculative Limits
In his discussion of global modernity, Appadurai argued that “in a world in which both points of departure and points of arrival are in cultural flux,” “the invention of tradition (and of ethnicity, kinship, and other identity-markers) can become slippery.”
Trading Futures, Consolidating Student Debt
Do denunciations of debt servitude imply a critique of the indentured labour that debt obliges or do they merely demand its reallocation according to the seemingly natural lines of race, gender and class? Debt includes a salient instance of speculation
Trading Futures, Consolidating Student Debt
Do denunciations of debt servitude imply a critique of the indentured labour that debt obliges or do they merely demand its reallocation according to the seemingly natural lines of race, gender and class? Debt includes a salient instance of speculation
Uncanny Robots and Affective Labour in the Oikonomia
It is not authentic human sociability that is valorised in affective labour, but the apparently genuine circulation of affect as if it is not work. Affective labour, whether paid or not, has long circulated as part of a compensatory logic,
Uncanny Robots and Affective Labour in the Oikonomia
It is not authentic human sociability that is valorised in affective labour, but the apparently genuine circulation of affect as if it is not work. Affective labour, whether paid or not, has long circulated as part of a compensatory logic,
Legal, Tender: The Genealogical Economy of Pride, Debt, and Origin
Capitalism is no more essentially deterritorializing than it can survive across time and extend across space without the periodic restoration of limits. Genealogy marks those limits. And it does so more emphatically, and often violently, in capitalism’s most precarious moments
Legal, Tender: The Genealogical Economy of Pride, Debt, and Origin
Capitalism is no more essentially deterritorializing than it can survive across time and extend across space without the periodic restoration of limits. Genealogy marks those limits. And it does so more emphatically, and often violently, in capitalism’s most precarious moments
From Precariousness to Risk Management and Beyond
The valorisation of risk and the ostensibly non-normative can be seen, perhaps most acutely, in the emergence of the subprime housing market, the derivative, in the increasing significance of the insurance industry and its speculations on death and disease, and
From Precariousness to Risk Management and Beyond
The valorisation of risk and the ostensibly non-normative can be seen, perhaps most acutely, in the emergence of the subprime housing market, the derivative, in the increasing significance of the insurance industry and its speculations on death and disease, and
Economies of Race, Queer Households and the Crisis
For fascists, Keynesians and socialists of various persuasions, capitalism is bad when it extends credit to those who cannot – or, worse: will not – repay the debt. That is, capitalism is not bad because it’s exploitative, but because (in
Economies of Race, Queer Households and the Crisis
For fascists, Keynesians and socialists of various persuasions, capitalism is bad when it extends credit to those who cannot – or, worse: will not – repay the debt. That is, capitalism is not bad because it’s exploitative, but because (in
Household Frontier
The frontier, and the empire that presupposes it, are a complex mix of reinscription and indeterminacy. By definition and in practice, this is the problem of empire. In debates over what is the same and what is new, and in
Household Frontier
The frontier, and the empire that presupposes it, are a complex mix of reinscription and indeterminacy. By definition and in practice, this is the problem of empire. In debates over what is the same and what is new, and in
In Praise of Usura
In the heady maelstrom of official and tripled declarations of crisis – not least, that of subprime – there are some notable phrases doing the rounds. With a recycled air of self-evidence, we have all heard of green new deals,
In Praise of Usura
In the heady maelstrom of official and tripled declarations of crisis – not least, that of subprime – there are some notable phrases doing the rounds. With a recycled air of self-evidence, we have all heard of green new deals,
Oikopolitics, and Storms
If the modern financial system is premised on the historical emergence of national debt, the late twentieth witnessed the democratization of its risks through the household. And yet, as it turns out, the dispersal of risk opened the door to
Oikopolitics, and Storms
If the modern financial system is premised on the historical emergence of national debt, the late twentieth witnessed the democratization of its risks through the household. And yet, as it turns out, the dispersal of risk opened the door to
Borders 2.0 – Future, Tense
Arrayed beyond and around the obvious walls of migration control, the architectures and technologies of the border proliferate. These technologies seek to sort, expunge, confine and delay; to sift potential value from non-value; to fix the border inside and round
Borders 2.0 – Future, Tense
Arrayed beyond and around the obvious walls of migration control, the architectures and technologies of the border proliferate. These technologies seek to sort, expunge, confine and delay; to sift potential value from non-value; to fix the border inside and round
The Materialisation of Race in Multiculture
To pose the question of the materiality of race is also, if one is inclined to trace the genealogy and circumstance of this problematic, to pose the question of multiculturalism’s ‘failure’. This is understood – and there are more or
The Materialisation of Race in Multiculture
To pose the question of the materiality of race is also, if one is inclined to trace the genealogy and circumstance of this problematic, to pose the question of multiculturalism’s ‘failure’. This is understood – and there are more or
Difference and Indifference
How to consider forms of hierarchisation, submission, intolerance, meekness and domination that obtain in the university without deferring to either the dream of a universality or, what is the same thing, the nightmare of a total mobilisation, which is to
Difference and Indifference
How to consider forms of hierarchisation, submission, intolerance, meekness and domination that obtain in the university without deferring to either the dream of a universality or, what is the same thing, the nightmare of a total mobilisation, which is to
The Failure of Political Theology
The concept of ‘failed states’ is ubiquitous in political idiom and theory, extending well beyond its methodical appearances in recent global security vernaculars. A review of Achille Mbembe’s On the Postcolony, and Forrest Hylton’s Evil Hour in Colombia. Full text,
The Failure of Political Theology
The concept of ‘failed states’ is ubiquitous in political idiom and theory, extending well beyond its methodical appearances in recent global security vernaculars. A review of Achille Mbembe’s On the Postcolony, and Forrest Hylton’s Evil Hour in Colombia. Full text,
Notes on the Frontiers and Borders of the Postcolony
On 22 June 2007, the Australian Prime Minister declared a de facto state of emergency over remote indigenous communities in the Northern Territory. The overt reason given for this extraordinary move was the protection of children from abuse – or,
Notes on the Frontiers and Borders of the Postcolony
On 22 June 2007, the Australian Prime Minister declared a de facto state of emergency over remote indigenous communities in the Northern Territory. The overt reason given for this extraordinary move was the protection of children from abuse – or,
Universal War, in a Quasi-Industrial Manner
As is more or less well-known, Kant’s writings on the university, collected under the heading of The Conflict of the Faculties, are preoccupied with establishing limits, borders — above all the limits to conflict. On the one hand, there is
Universal War, in a Quasi-Industrial Manner
As is more or less well-known, Kant’s writings on the university, collected under the heading of The Conflict of the Faculties, are preoccupied with establishing limits, borders — above all the limits to conflict. On the one hand, there is
On the Borders of the Political – Activism Bound
First, it’s not surprising that the emergence of a so-called global activism was accompanied by debates about activism as such. Much of this turns around the crisis which Brett alluded to earlier: the refinement of ‘crowd control’ techniques that involve
On the Borders of the Political – Activism Bound
First, it’s not surprising that the emergence of a so-called global activism was accompanied by debates about activism as such. Much of this turns around the crisis which Brett alluded to earlier: the refinement of ‘crowd control’ techniques that involve
The Social SoftWar
If the proliferation of ‘social software’ and related copyfights suggests anything, it is that while the concept of work preserves its Lockean associations with right and enclosure, its temporal boundaries give way to an always-on, always available net-working. Full text,
The Social SoftWar
If the proliferation of ‘social software’ and related copyfights suggests anything, it is that while the concept of work preserves its Lockean associations with right and enclosure, its temporal boundaries give way to an always-on, always available net-working. Full text,
Exceptional Times, Non-governmental Spacings, and Impolitical Movement
At the border, politics risks exposing itself to the impolitical, to a sense of movement beyond its conventional socio-political definitions, and to an expression of the political without a sovereign tone. One might say that it is this risk-which is
Exceptional Times, Non-governmental Spacings, and Impolitical Movement
At the border, politics risks exposing itself to the impolitical, to a sense of movement beyond its conventional socio-political definitions, and to an expression of the political without a sovereign tone. One might say that it is this risk-which is
The Demography of Time and the Times
The aspects of the transition Federici refers to are those processes that Marx situated under the heading of ‘primitive accumulation’. Simply put: for Marx, ‘primitive accumulation’ indicated the transition between feudalism and capitalism. Its most decisive elements included the enclosures
The Demography of Time and the Times
The aspects of the transition Federici refers to are those processes that Marx situated under the heading of ‘primitive accumulation’. Simply put: for Marx, ‘primitive accumulation’ indicated the transition between feudalism and capitalism. Its most decisive elements included the enclosures
Cutting Democracy’s Knot
In his first extended speech in the midst of the rebellions of the banlieues and an officially declared state of emergency, French President Jacques Chirac announced that the problem confronting France was ‘a crisis of meaning, a crisis of reference
Cutting Democracy’s Knot
In his first extended speech in the midst of the rebellions of the banlieues and an officially declared state of emergency, French President Jacques Chirac announced that the problem confronting France was ‘a crisis of meaning, a crisis of reference
Autonomy, Recognition, and Movement
In 1964 Mario Tronti began putting forward an analysis of working class autonomy that would come to be identified — and not always accurately — with an entire period and milieux of radical politics in Italy. The argument went something
Autonomy, Recognition, and Movement
In 1964 Mario Tronti began putting forward an analysis of working class autonomy that would come to be identified — and not always accurately — with an entire period and milieux of radical politics in Italy. The argument went something
Under the Beach, the Barbed Wire
If for a certain imaginary, the beach has often evoked a realm of authenticity hidden under the concrete strata of urban development, capitalist spectacle and exploitation, the relentlessly iconised Australian beach has, in addition, been put to use as proof
Under the Beach, the Barbed Wire
If for a certain imaginary, the beach has often evoked a realm of authenticity hidden under the concrete strata of urban development, capitalist spectacle and exploitation, the relentlessly iconised Australian beach has, in addition, been put to use as proof
Four Remarks on an Emergent(z) World
Discussions of the state of emergency so often render the world in dismal and bloody hues sketched by some transcendent hand that they function as little more than occasions for lyrical indignation or, worse, simply fuel the exquisite sense of
Four Remarks on an Emergent(z) World
Discussions of the state of emergency so often render the world in dismal and bloody hues sketched by some transcendent hand that they function as little more than occasions for lyrical indignation or, worse, simply fuel the exquisite sense of
Polemos, Universitas
In discussions of the so-called ‘culture wars’, it is often the case that ‘war’ here implies the intrusion of polemic into the otherwise routinely civil exchanges of the universities or ‘the public sphere’, as distinct from war—polemos —as such. This
Polemos, Universitas
In discussions of the so-called ‘culture wars’, it is often the case that ‘war’ here implies the intrusion of polemic into the otherwise routinely civil exchanges of the universities or ‘the public sphere’, as distinct from war—polemos —as such. This
Precari-Us?
Few could be unaware that an increasing proportion of the workforce is engaged in intermittent or irregular work. But I’d like to set aside for the moment the weight and scope of the evidentiary, those well-rehearsed findings that confirm beyond
Precari-Us?
Few could be unaware that an increasing proportion of the workforce is engaged in intermittent or irregular work. But I’d like to set aside for the moment the weight and scope of the evidentiary, those well-rehearsed findings that confirm beyond
Movements Against the Enclosures: Virtual is Preamble
Much is made of the difference between ‘virtual’ and ‘actual’. Other than asserting a distinction between ‘unreal’ and the ‘real’, the uses of such oppositions demonstrates the real workings of a conflict between different approaches to and mappings of space,
Movements Against the Enclosures: Virtual is Preamble
Much is made of the difference between ‘virtual’ and ‘actual’. Other than asserting a distinction between ‘unreal’ and the ‘real’, the uses of such oppositions demonstrates the real workings of a conflict between different approaches to and mappings of space,
The Micro-physics of Theoretical Production and Border Crossings
If for Althusser it seemed necessary to read “to the letter” — by which he did not mean a kind of punctilious scholasticism but alertness to both overt meanings and hesitations — it was just as important to declare what
The Micro-physics of Theoretical Production and Border Crossings
If for Althusser it seemed necessary to read “to the letter” — by which he did not mean a kind of punctilious scholasticism but alertness to both overt meanings and hesitations — it was just as important to declare what
The Hopes of Political Economy
World War returned. To be sure, wars never really ended, in that they continued to lay waste to much of the world since the Second World War was declared over and, ceremonial announcements aside, in that the war in Iraq
The Hopes of Political Economy
World War returned. To be sure, wars never really ended, in that they continued to lay waste to much of the world since the Second World War was declared over and, ceremonial announcements aside, in that the war in Iraq
The Anti-War Movement Did Not Happen
There are two undeniable facts. The first is that the rallies in Australia which preceded the bombing of Baghdad were enormous. Precise estimates of attendances in Sydney and Melbourne — ranging from 100,000 to double that figure — are impossible
The Anti-War Movement Did Not Happen
There are two undeniable facts. The first is that the rallies in Australia which preceded the bombing of Baghdad were enormous. Precise estimates of attendances in Sydney and Melbourne — ranging from 100,000 to double that figure — are impossible
Signs of Life
Recently, “illegal immigration” was listed in a Defence Department White Paper as a “non-military threat to our national life.” Around the same time, the Dept of Immigration announced a campaign of “saturation surveillance” extending from the northern coastline to well
Signs of Life
Recently, “illegal immigration” was listed in a Defence Department White Paper as a “non-military threat to our national life.” Around the same time, the Dept of Immigration announced a campaign of “saturation surveillance” extending from the northern coastline to well
As if to War
In one sense – a conspicuous sense – the paradox of sports rhetoric is this: it is perfectly acceptable to applaud sports people in terms such as ‘elite athletes’ while, at the same time, designating those who do not applaud
As if to War
In one sense – a conspicuous sense – the paradox of sports rhetoric is this: it is perfectly acceptable to applaud sports people in terms such as ‘elite athletes’ while, at the same time, designating those who do not applaud
Halt! Who Goes There?
By no means entirely—but certainly in the sense that the moral virtue of surveillance is declared necessary—cities are all ramparts and commerce, mobile throngs requiring the legislation and criminalisation of traffic, intersections, various stops and flows. In other words, surveillance
Halt! Who Goes There?
By no means entirely—but certainly in the sense that the moral virtue of surveillance is declared necessary—cities are all ramparts and commerce, mobile throngs requiring the legislation and criminalisation of traffic, intersections, various stops and flows. In other words, surveillance
The Barbed End of Human Rights
Where are human rights? This seems a relatively simple question; trying to formulate a plausible answer, it is anything but. Indeed, it is the most troubling question we confront today because it re-opens the corresponding questions of who ‘we’ are,
The Barbed End of Human Rights
Where are human rights? This seems a relatively simple question; trying to formulate a plausible answer, it is anything but. Indeed, it is the most troubling question we confront today because it re-opens the corresponding questions of who ‘we’ are,
Discipline and Labour: Sociology, Class Formation and Money in Australia at the Beginning of the Twentieth Century
Full text, in J. Germov and T. R. McGee, eds. Histories of Australian Sociology (Melbourne: Melbourne University Press), 2005, pp.343-54. Republished from Journal of Sociology 35, 1999, pp.77-91.
Discipline and Labour: Sociology, Class Formation and Money in Australia at the Beginning of the Twentieth Century
Full text, in J. Germov and T. R. McGee, eds. Histories of Australian Sociology (Melbourne: Melbourne University Press), 2005, pp.343-54. Republished from Journal of Sociology 35, 1999, pp.77-91.
The Exhaustion of Australian Social Democracy
Australia has imagined itself — and perhaps been regarded — as an island of liberal democratic, if not always social democratic, protections. The apparently contrasting backdrop for this image is Asia, depicted as a place where few distinctions operate between
The Exhaustion of Australian Social Democracy
Australia has imagined itself — and perhaps been regarded — as an island of liberal democratic, if not always social democratic, protections. The apparently contrasting backdrop for this image is Asia, depicted as a place where few distinctions operate between
Invisible Hands and Iron Fists: Fear, Progress and Work and the End of the 20th Century
Over the last fifteen years in Australia, the workplace has been thoroughly and miserably transformed. With the biggest growth in employment recorded in casual and part-time work, with the proportion of those working over sixty hours a week registgering the
Invisible Hands and Iron Fists: Fear, Progress and Work and the End of the 20th Century
Over the last fifteen years in Australia, the workplace has been thoroughly and miserably transformed. With the biggest growth in employment recorded in casual and part-time work, with the proportion of those working over sixty hours a week registgering the
