In the Shadow of the Silent Majorities
First edition (French) | |
| Author | Jean Baudrillard |
|---|---|
| Original title | À l’ombre des majorités silencieuses ou la fin du social |
| Translator | Paul Foss, John Johnston, Paul Patton |
| Language | French |
| Subject | Philosophy of social science, Criticism of sociology |
| Publisher | Les Cahiers d'Utopie (French) & Semiotext(e) (English) |
Publication date | 1978 |
| Publication place | France |
Published in English | 1983 |
| Media type | Print (Paperback) |
| Pages | 123 pp |
| ISBN | 0936756004 |
| 302.23 | |
| LC Class | HM866 .B38132 1983 |
| Preceded by | L'Effet Beaubourg (1977) |
| Followed by | L'Ange de stuc (1978) |
In the Shadow of the Silent Majorities, Or, the End of the Social (French: À l’ombre des majorités silencieuses ou la fin du social) is a 1978 philosophical treatise by Jean Baudrillard, in which he analyzes the mass society and their relation to meaning. Baudrillard praises the masses for their resistance to the mass media, and lauded 'the social',[1] for their "direct defiance of the political"[2] "victoriously resist[ing] the media by diverting or absorbing all the messages which it produces without responding to them".[2]
Publication history
The first edition of the book was published in the final issue of the magazine Les Cahiers d'Utopie in 1978.[3][4] It was translated to English by Paul Foss, John Johnston and Paul Patton, and published by the Foreign Agents imprint of Semiotext(e) in 1983.[5] A second edition was published in 2007.[6]
Main ideas
In the 1970s, magazines such as Utopie, Noir et rouge, ICO, Socialisme ou Barbarie, Pouvoir ouvrier, and the Situationists were unconditionally opposed the "official culture". They saw the masses as hypnotized into submission by a "society of the spectacle."[4]
Baudrillard's interpretation stated that meaning became devalued.[4][7]
He argues that the masses actively refuse meaning, breaking with sociology.[8][9]
See also
References
- ^ worker (18 February 2010). "The University, Social Death and the Inside Joke". Anarchist News. Archived from the original on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 12 December 2016.
- ^ a b IN THE SHADOW OF THE SILENT MAJORITIES, OR THE END OF THE SOCIAL AND OTHER ESSAYS Translated by Paul Foss, Paul Patton and John Johnston. Semiotext(e), Inc. 522 Philosophy Hall, Columbia University. New York City, New York 10027
- ^ "À l'ombre des majorités silencieuses ou la fin du social" (in French). Sens & Tonka & Cie. 15 February 2005. Archived from the original on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 12 December 2016.
- ^ a b c Jean-Louis Violeau. "Jean Baudrillard, 68 et la fonction utopique" (in French). After 1968. Retrieved 12 December 2016.
- ^ "In the shadow of the silent majorities, Or, the end of the social, and other essays". Library of Congress Online Catalog. Retrieved 12 December 2016.
- ^ "In the shadow of the silent majorities, Or, the end of the social, and other essays". Library of Congress Online Catalog. Retrieved 12 December 2016.
- ^ Baudrillard, Jean (1983). In the Shadow of the Silent Majorities. Semiotext(e). p. 52. ISBN 0936756004.
- ^ Benjamin Noys (21 March 2007). "Crimes of the Near Future: Baudrillard / Ballard". Ballardian. Archived from the original on 14 January 2017. Retrieved 12 December 2016.
- ^ "In the Shadow of the Silent Majorities, New Edition". The MIT Press. Retrieved 12 December 2016.
- ^ Baudrillard, Jean (1983). In the Shadow of the Silent Majorities. Semiotext(e). p. 20. ISBN 0936756004.
- ^ Jason Royce Lindsey (July 2007). "Rethinking the Political: Taking Baudrillard's "Silent Majorities" Seriously". International Journal of Baudrillard Studies, Vol. 4, No. 2. Archived from the original on 13 August 2017. Retrieved 12 December 2016.
- ^ Baudrillard, Jean (1983). In the Shadow of the Silent Majorities. Semiotext(e). p. 48. ISBN 0936756004.
- ^ Williamson, Judith (1989). "An Interview with Jean Baudrillard". Block.