Raoul Vaneigem
Encyclopedia
Raoul Vaneigem is a Belgian
writer and philosopher. He was born in Lessines
(Hainaut, Belgium
). After studying romance philology
at the Free University of Brussels
(now split into the Université Libre de Bruxelles
and the Vrije Universiteit Brussel
) from 1952 to 1956, he participated in the Situationist International from 1961 to 1970. He currently resides in Belgium and is the father of four children.
Vaneigem and Guy Debord
were two of the principal theoreticians of the Situationist movement. Vaneigem's slogans frequently made it onto the walls of Paris
during the May 1968 uprisings. His most famous book, and the one that contains the most famous slogans, is The Revolution of Everyday Life
(in French Traité de savoir-vivre à l'usage des jeunes générations).
According to the website nothingness.org, "The voice of Raoul Vaneigem was one of the strongest of the Situationists. Counterpoised to Guy Debord's political and polemic style, Vaneigem offered a more poetic and spirited prose. The Revolution of Everyday Life (Traité de savoir-vivre à l'usage des jeunes générations), published in the same year as [Debord's] The Society of the Spectacle, helped broaden and balance the presentation of the SI's theories and practices. One of the longest SI members, and frequent editor of the journal Internationale Situationniste, Vaneigem finally left the SI in November 1970, citing their failures as well as his own in his letter of resignation. Soon after, Debord issued a typically scathing response denouncing both Vaneigem and his critique of the Situationist International."
After leaving the Situationist movement Vaneigem wrote a series of polemical books defending the idea of a free and self-regulating social order
. He frequently made use of pseudonyms, including "Julienne de Cherisy," "Robert Desessarts," "Jules-François Dupuis," "Tristan Hannaniel," "Anne de Launay," "Ratgeb," and "Michel Thorgal." Recently he has been an advocate of a new type of strike
, in which service and transportation workers provide services for free and refuse to collect payment or fares.
In 2009 Vaneigem was interviewed by Hans Ulrich Obrist
for e-flux.
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
writer and philosopher. He was born in Lessines
Lessines
Lessines is a Walloon municipality located in the Belgian province of Hainaut. On January 1, 2006 Lessines had a total population of 17,848. The total area is 72.29 km² which gives a population density of 247 inhabitants per km²...
(Hainaut, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
). After studying romance philology
Philology
Philology is the study of language in written historical sources; it is a combination of literary studies, history and linguistics.Classical philology is the philology of Greek and Classical Latin...
at the Free University of Brussels
Free University of Brussels
The Free University of Brussels was a university in Brussels, Belgium. In 1969, it split into the Université Libre de Bruxelles and the Dutch-speaking Vrije Universiteit Brussel....
(now split into the Université Libre de Bruxelles
Université Libre de Bruxelles
The Université libre de Bruxelles is a French-speaking university in Brussels, Belgium. It has 21,000 students, 29% of whom come from abroad, and an equally cosmopolitan staff.-Name:...
and the Vrije Universiteit Brussel
Vrije Universiteit Brussel
The Vrije Universiteit Brussel is a Flemish university located in Brussels, Belgium. It has two campuses referred to as Etterbeek and Jette.The university's name is sometimes abbreviated by "VUB" or translated to "Free University of Brussels"...
) from 1952 to 1956, he participated in the Situationist International from 1961 to 1970. He currently resides in Belgium and is the father of four children.
Vaneigem and Guy Debord
Guy Debord
Guy Ernest Debord was a French Marxist theorist, writer, filmmaker, member of the Letterist International, founder of a Letterist faction, and founding member of the Situationist International . He was also briefly a member of Socialisme ou Barbarie.-Early Life:Guy Debord was born in Paris in 1931...
were two of the principal theoreticians of the Situationist movement. Vaneigem's slogans frequently made it onto the walls of Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
during the May 1968 uprisings. His most famous book, and the one that contains the most famous slogans, is The Revolution of Everyday Life
The Revolution of Everyday Life
The Revolution of Everyday Life is a 1967 book by Raoul Vaneigem, Belgian author, philosopher and former member of the Situationist International . In French the title of the work was more elaborate: Traité du savoir-vivre à l’usage des jeunes générations, or Treatise on Living for the Younger...
(in French Traité de savoir-vivre à l'usage des jeunes générations).
According to the website nothingness.org, "The voice of Raoul Vaneigem was one of the strongest of the Situationists. Counterpoised to Guy Debord's political and polemic style, Vaneigem offered a more poetic and spirited prose. The Revolution of Everyday Life (Traité de savoir-vivre à l'usage des jeunes générations), published in the same year as [Debord's] The Society of the Spectacle, helped broaden and balance the presentation of the SI's theories and practices. One of the longest SI members, and frequent editor of the journal Internationale Situationniste, Vaneigem finally left the SI in November 1970, citing their failures as well as his own in his letter of resignation. Soon after, Debord issued a typically scathing response denouncing both Vaneigem and his critique of the Situationist International."
After leaving the Situationist movement Vaneigem wrote a series of polemical books defending the idea of a free and self-regulating social order
Social order
Social order is a concept used in sociology, history and other social sciences. It refers to a set of linked social structures, social institutions and social practices which conserve, maintain and enforce "normal" ways of relating and behaving....
. He frequently made use of pseudonyms, including "Julienne de Cherisy," "Robert Desessarts," "Jules-François Dupuis," "Tristan Hannaniel," "Anne de Launay," "Ratgeb," and "Michel Thorgal." Recently he has been an advocate of a new type of strike
Strike action
Strike action, also called labour strike, on strike, greve , or simply strike, is a work stoppage caused by the mass refusal of employees to work. A strike usually takes place in response to employee grievances. Strikes became important during the industrial revolution, when mass labour became...
, in which service and transportation workers provide services for free and refuse to collect payment or fares.
In 2009 Vaneigem was interviewed by Hans Ulrich Obrist
Hans Ulrich Obrist
Hans Ulrich Obrist is a contemporary art curator, critic and historian of art. He is currently Co-director of Exhibitions and Programmes and Director of International Projects at the Serpentine Gallery, London...
for e-flux.
Partial bibliography
- The Revolution of Everyday Life, (Traité de savoir-vivre à l'usage des jeunes générations) Traité de savoir-vivre à l'usage des jeunes générations
- Le livre des plaisirs, (The Book of Pleasures), 1979, reprinted 1993.
- L'Ile aux delices, (The Island of Delights), an erotic novel, 1979.
- Le mouvement du libre-esprit (The Movement of the Free SpiritThe Movement of the Free SpiritThe Movement of the Free Spirit: General Considerations and Firsthand Testimony Concerning Some Brief Flowerings of Life in the Middle Ages, the Renaissance and, Incidentally, Our Own Time is a book penned by former Situationist International member Raoul Vaneigem and published in English in...
), 1986. - Adresse aux vivants sur la mort qui les gouverne et l'opportunité de s'en défaire, 1990
- Lettre de Staline à ses enfants enfin réconciliés de l'Est et de l'Ouest, 1992
- La résistance au christianisme. Les hérésies des origines au XVIIIe siècle, 1993
- Les hérésies, 1994
- Avertissement aux écoliers et lycéens, 1995
- Nous qui désirons sans fin, 1996
- La Paresse, 1996
- Notes sans portée, 1997
- Dictionnaire de citations pour servir au divertissement et à l'intelligence du temps, 1998
- Déclaration des droits de l'être humain. De la souveraineté de la vie comme dépassement des droits de le l'homme, 2001
- Pour une internationale du genre humain, 2001
- Salut à Rabelais ! Une lecture au présent, 2003
- Rien n'est sacré, tout peut se dire, 2003
- Le Chevalier, la Dame, le Diable et la Mort, 2003
- Modestes propositions aux grévistes, 2004
- Journal imaginaire, 2005
Further reading (in french)
- CHARLES (Pol), Vaneigem l'insatiable, L'Age d'Homme, Lausanne, Suisse, 2002, ISBN 2-8251-1647-5
- LAMBRETTE (Grégory), Raoul Vaneigem, St-Georges d'Oléron-Bruxelles, Editions Libertaires/Editions d'Alternative Libertaire, coll. Graine d'ananar, 2002
- SIX (Laurent), Raoul Vaneigem. L'éloge de la vie affinée, Avin, Luce Wilquin, coll. L'Oeuvre en Lumière, 2004
External links
- English and French texts on nothingness.org library
- Vaneigem archive at Libcom.org
- The Decline and Fall of Work free mp3MP3MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 Audio Layer III, more commonly referred to as MP3, is a patented digital audio encoding format using a form of lossy data compression...
recording of Vaneigem's essay of the same name, from the Audio Anarchy project