Author Archives: stuartelden

Chris O’Kane, Social Constitution and Fetishistic Social Domination in Marx, Lukács, Adorno, and Lefebvre – Brill, March 2026

Posted on January 23, 2026 by stuartelden

Chris O’Kane, Social Constitution and Fetishistic Social Domination in Marx, Lukács, Adorno, and Lefebvre – Brill, March 2026 The Marxian theory of fetishism is usually interpreted as a theory of false consciousness, alienation, or reification pertaining to commodities or culture. … Continue reading →

Posted in Georg Lukács, Henri Lefebvre, Karl Marx, Uncategorized | 1 Comment

Christophe Bouton, Sur les traces du temps – Minuit, 2026

Posted on January 22, 2026 by stuartelden

Christophe Bouton, Sur les traces du temps – Minuit, 2026 thanks to John Raimo for the link Qu’est-ce que le temps ? Constitue-t-il une réalité autonome ou une simple relation entre les êtres ? Un élément irréductible du monde ou … Continue reading →

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Duncan Kelly, Worlds of Wartime: The First World War and the Reconstruction of Modern Politics – Oxford University Press, November 2025

Posted on January 22, 2026 by stuartelden

Duncan Kelly, Worlds of Wartime: The First World War and the Reconstruction of Modern Politics – Oxford University Press, November 2025 I’ve shared news of this major study, of a massive topic – 784 pages! – before. There is now a … Continue reading →

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Anne O. Law, Migration and the Origins of American Citizenship: African Americans, Native Americans, and Immigrants – Oxford University Press, March 2026

Posted on January 21, 2026 by stuartelden

Anne O. Law, Migration and the Origins of American Citizenship: African Americans, Native Americans, and Immigrants – Oxford University Press, March 2026 Since the late nineteenth century, the US federal government has enjoyed exclusive authority to decide whether someone has the … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment

Gautham Rao, White Power: Policing American Slavery – University of North Carolina Press, May 2026

Posted on January 20, 2026 by stuartelden

Gautham Rao, White Power: Policing American Slavery – University of North Carolina Press, May 2026 Beginning in the colonial era and growing through the American Revolution and the Southern plantation system, slaveholders’ violent police regime continued after Emancipation, through Reconstruction, … Continue reading →

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Books received – Kristeva, Ryback, Sergent, Ruwet, Deleuze, Serres, Burrin

Posted on January 19, 2026 by stuartelden

Mostly bought second-hand, but including Michel Serres, Hermes III, sent by University of Minnesota Press, and Gilles Deleuze, Sur les lignes de vie. The one without a clear title on the spine is Jean-Claude Ruwet, Introduction to Ethology: The Biology … Continue reading →

Posted in Gilles Deleuze, Julia Kristeva, Mapping Indo-European Thought in Twentieth Century France, Michel Serres | Leave a comment

Alex Sharpe, We’re Nobody’s Children: David Bowie and Existentialism – Counterpress, February 2026

Posted on January 19, 2026 by stuartelden

Alex Sharpe, We’re Nobody’s Children: David Bowie and Existentialism – Counterpress, February 2026 This book brings existentialist philosophy (atheistic and Christian) to life through the artistic life of David Bowie. Working with Søren Kierkegaard, Friedrich Nietzsche, Martin Heidegger, Jean-Paul Sartre, … Continue reading →

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Mircea Eliade on alchemy; Marie-Madeleine Davy on mysticism and symbolism

Posted on January 18, 2026 by stuartelden

Among many other topics, the Romanian historian of religion Mircea Eliade wrote about alchemy. His 1937 book Cosmologie Şi Alchimie Babiloniană was translated into French as Cosmologie et alchimie babyloniennes, but only in 1991. A substantial part of this text appeared in English … Continue reading →

Posted in Marie-Madeleine Davy, Mircea Eliade, Simone Weil, Sunday Histories | Leave a comment

Andrea Bagnato, Terra Infecta: Disease and the Italian Landscape – Mack, January 2026 and interview at JHI blog

Posted on January 17, 2026 by stuartelden

Andrea Bagnato, Terra Infecta: Disease and the Italian Landscape – Mack, January 2026 Ranging from Italian unification to the aftershocks of Covid-19, and drawing on architectural records, medical history, and the author’s own travels, Terra Infecta reveals the lived realities of grand … Continue reading →

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William Whyte, The University: A History in Stone, Silk, and Blood – Harvard University Press, August 2026

Posted on January 17, 2026 by stuartelden

William Whyte, The University: A History in Stone, Silk, and Blood – Harvard University Press, August 2026 We often idealize the university as a sanctuary for disinterested reason, where material concerns are set aside in favor of higher principles. Yet … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized, Universities | 1 Comment