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9781783488728

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Authenticity has always been a problematic concept for politics, not least when applied to the idea of revolution, where the claim to authentic actions and beliefs, like the repudiation of the inauthentic, often obscures more than it reveals. Jolan Bogdan brilliantly proves as much in this provocative exploration of the Romanian Revolution of 1989, developing the notion of performative contradiction as a compellingly productive alternative to questions about authenticity that have typically been the focus of historical and philosophical treatments of this same moment. But in drawing on an impressively wide range of traditions and thinkers, Bogdan not only illuminates the world-historical significance of events in Romania, but also demonstrates how a sharpened attention to performative contradiction might have far-reaching and surprising implications for our understanding of the political today. -- Emilio Sauri, Associate Professor, University of Massachusetts Boston, USA In Performative Contradiction and the Romanian Revolution Jolan Bogdan makes an original and compelling analysis that shows how the deep ambiguities and paradoxes that freight revolutionary situations threaten to render inadequate our philosophical and political vocabularies. The in-depth account of the Romanian revolution is complemented by a fascinating study of the collective psyche of a people under a totalitarian regime and an astute reflection on the nature of violence. The book is a significant contribution to current theoretical and political debate and will be a valuable interpretive resource for the student of history, politics and philosophy. -- Elina Staikou, Associate Lecturer, University of Westminster, UK

Authenticity has always been a problematic concept for politics, not least when applied to the idea of revolution, where the claim to authentic actions and beliefs, like the repudiation of the inauthentic, often obscures more than it reveals. Jolan Bogdan brilliantly proves as much in this provocative exploration of the Romanian Revolution of 1989, developing the notion of performative contradiction as a compellingly productive alternative to questions about authenticity that have typically been the focus of historical and philosophical treatments of this same moment. But in drawing on an impressively wide range of traditions and thinkers, Bogdan not only illuminates the world-historical significance of events in Romania, but also demonstrates how a sharpened attention to performative contradiction might have far-reaching and surprising implications for our understanding of the political today. -- Emilio Sauri, Associate Professor, University of Massachusetts Boston, USA

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Jolan Bogdan is a founding member of INC Continental Philosophy Research Group, Goldsmiths, University of London. She is currently editing an anthology on nationalism and maternal ambiguity as a theme in the works of Jacques Derrida. She has taught Visual Cultures at Goldsmiths, University of London, and at the University of Birmingham. She has published articles in Word and Text, Parallax and The International Encyclopedia of Revolution and Protest.

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