Franco Berardi

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Franco "Bifo" Berardi (born November 2, 1948, Bologna, Italy) is an Italian Marxist theorist and activist in the autonomist tradition, whose work mainly focuses on the role of the media and information technology within post-industrial capitalism. Berardi has written over two dozen published books, as well as a more extensive number of essays and speeches.

Creative work and activism

In 1962, at the age of 14, Berardi became a member of the Italian Communist Youth Federation, but was expelled due to "factionalism." He participated in the events of May '68 at the University of Bologna, where he graduated with a degree in Aesthetics. During this time he joined the extra-parliamentary Worker's Power group. Berardi founded the magazine A/traverso in 1975 and worked with the magazine until 1981, when it reached its high point of publishing. He was also part of the staff of Radio Alice, the first free pirate radio station in Italy, from 1976 to 1978. Like others involved in the political movement of Autonomia in Italy during the 1970s, Berardi fled to Paris, where he worked with Félix Guattari in the field of schizoanalysis. During the 1980s, Berardi contributed to the magazines Semiotexte (New York), Chimerees (Paris), Metropoli (Rome) and Musica 80 (Milan). During the 1990s, he published Mutazione e Ciberpunk (Genoa, 1993), Cibernauti (Rome, 1994), and Félix (Rome, 2001). He has also collaborated with artists such as Warren Neidich and publications such as e-flux journal in the contemporary arts field. Currently he is working with the magazine Derive Approdi as well as teaching social history of communication at the Accademia di belle Arti in Milan. He is the co-founder of the e-zine rekombinant.org and of the telestreet movement, founding the channel Orfeo TV.[1][2]

Theories

Unlike orthodox Marxists, Franco's autonomist theories draw on psychoanalysis, schizoanalysis and communication theory to show how subjectivity and desire are bound up with the functioning of the capitalism system, rather than portraying events such as the financial crisis of 2008 merely as an example of the inherently contradictory logic of capitalist accumulation.[3] Thus, he argues against privileging labour in critique and says that "the solution to the economic difficulty of the situation cannot be solved with economic means: the solution is not economic."[4] Human emotions and embodied communication becomes increasingly central to the production and consumption patterns that sustain capital flows in post-industrial society, and as such Berardi uses the concepts of "cognitariat" and "info labour" to analyze this psycho-social process.[5][6] Among Berardi's other concerns are cultural representations and expectations about the future - from proto-Fascist Futurism[7] to post-modern cyberpunk [1993]. This represents a greater concern with ideas and cultural expectations than the determinist-materialist expression of a vulgar Marxism, which is often confined to purely economic or systemic analysis.

Notes

  1. ↑ Biography at Generation-Online.
  2. ↑ Italy Wikipedia page for Franco Berardi.
  3. ↑ Berardi, Franco. The Soul at Work: From Alienation to Autonomy. Trans. Francesca Cadel and Giuseppina Mecchia, with preface by Jason E. Smith. Los Angeles, CA: Semiotexte, 2009.
  4. ↑ Berardi, Franco. "Franco 'Bifo' Berardi about crisis". Lithuania: Alytus Art Strike Biennial, 2009.
  5. ↑ "Info Labour and Precarity". Trans. Eric Empson.
  6. ↑ Il sapiente, il mercante, il guerriero: dal rifiuto del lavoro all'emergere del cognitariato. Untranslated: The Warrior, The Merchant, and the Sage: the Emergence of the Cognitariat Refusal of Work. Rome: DeriveApprodi, 2004.
  7. ↑ "Futurism and the reversal of the future". London: May 2009.

Bibliography (Selected)

Books

  • Ed. Gary Genosko and Nicholas Thoburn. After the Future. AK Press. Forthcoming July 2011.
  • The Soul at Work: From Alienation to Autonomy. Trans. Francesca Cadel and Giuseppina Mecchia, with preface by Jason E. Smith. Los Angeles, CA: Semiotexte, 2009.
  • With Marco Jacquement and Gianfranco Vitali. Ethereal Shadows: Communications and Power in Contemporary Italy. London: Autonomedia, 2009.
  • Precarious Rhapsody. Semio-capitalism and the Pathologies of the Post-Alpha Generation. London: Autonomedia, 2009.
  • Skizomedia. Trent'anni di mediattivismo. Untranslated: Schizomedia: Thirty Years of Media Activism. Rome: Derive Approdi, 2006.
  • Il sapiente, il mercante, il guerriero: dal rifiuto del lavoro all'emergere del cognitariato Untranslated: The Warrior, The Merchant, and the Sage: the Emergence of the Cognitariat Refusal of Work. Rome: DeriveApprodi, 2004.
  • With Jacquement e Vitali and Baldini Castoldi Dalai. Telestreet. Macchina immaginativa non omologata. Untranslated: Telestreet: Machine Imagination Not Approved. 2003.
  • Alice è il diavolo. Storia di una radio sovversiva. Untranslated: Alice is the Devil: Story of a Subversive Radio. Shake, 2002.
  • Un'estate all'inferno. Untranslated: Summer in Hell. Ed. Luca Sossella. 2002.
  • Felix. Narrazione del mio incontro con il pensiero di Guattari, cartografia visionaria del tempo che viene. Translated: Félix Guattari. Thought, Friendship, and Visionary Cartography. London: Palgrave, 2008.
  • La fabbrica dell'infelicita'. New economy e movimento del cognitariato. Untranslated: The Factory of Unhappiness: New Economy and Movement of the Cognitariat. Rome: DeriveApprodi, 2001.
  • La nefasta utopia di Potere Operaio. Untranslated: The Ominous Utopia of Workers' Power. Castelvecchi, 1997.
  • Exit, il nostro contributo all'estinzione della civilta. Untranslated: Exit - Our Contribution to the Extinction of Civilization.
  • Cibernauti. Untranslated: Cybernauts. Castelvecchi, 1995.
  • Come si cura il nazi, Neuromagma. Untranslated: How is the Nazi, Neuromagma. 1994.
  • Mutazione e cyberpunk. Untranslated: Mutation and Cyberpunk. 1993.
  • Piu' cyber che punk. Untranslated: More Cyber Punk. 1990.
  • Infovirus. Untranslated. Topia. 1985.
  • Enfin le ciel est tombè sur la terre. Untranslated: Finally the Sky Fell to the Earth. Seuil, 1978.
  • Contro il lavoro. Untranslated: Against Work. Milano: Feltrinelli, 1970.

Essays and Speeches

Filmography

  • The Move (documentary). Directed by Renato de Maria. 1991.

External links

See also

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike; additional terms may apply for the media files.