Overview

Excavating the comedic crack in historical repetitions What happens when those who have been denied political subjectivity fully play out their negative role in a historical drama that damned them from the beginning? Hegel, Marx, and the Laughing Matter of Spirit locates the eruption of revolutionary laughter in historical cracks across nineteenth- and twentieth-century Europe, where exiled philosophers, partisan fighters, and artists framed their political resistance as a historical comedy. Hegelian comedy fuels the Young Hegelian critique of Prussian censorship, Walter Benjamin’s staging of the anti-fascist resistance, and the Yugoslavian partisan attempt to begin again in fascism’s aftermath. Revolution erupts from a historical stage that can no longer look on its own contradictions with a straight face. Drawing on the defiant spirit of comedy, this Hegelian feminist manifesto defies political despair, overturning the perception that history tragically repeats itself. Invoking the phrase “Nothing changes” as a mantra, R. A. Aumiller turns a concession of defeat into a battle cry for political resistance.

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9780810149687

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Reviews

""In crisis-ridden moments, critical thought must not forget to sharpen the one tool that helps us handle impossible political situations: wit. R. A. Aumiller shows us how it's done, through an admirable return to Hegel, whose philosophical comedy remains an indispensable guidance in troublesome times. Hegel, Marx, and the Laughing Matter of Spirit demonstrates that philosophy, if it truly wants to perform its task, must practice a materialist humor that will make the spirit of time, literally, ""crack up"". Only through such comical act, a change other than tragic downfall becomes possible. So, this book is indeed a matter of urgency."" --Samo Tomsič, Dresden University of Fine Arts

Author Information

R. A. Aumiller is an assistant professor in the Department of Metaphysics and Philosophical Anthropology at Radboud University, The Netherlands.

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