French Literature Reviews - 2026

A. Badiou, Les Années rouges
Philosophy, Anthropology and Ideas

Les années rouges
Alain Badiou
Bruno Bosteels (Afterword), Tzuchien Tho (Interviewee)

PUBLICATION DATE: 18/05/12

PUBLISHER: Les Prairies Ordinaires

SERIES: Essays

ISBN: 978-2-35096-069-2

EAN: 9782350960692

NO. OF PAGES: 352 p.

All kinds of things have been said about Alain Badiou's Maoism, but who has actually read Theory of Contradiction, Of Ideology, and The Rational Kernel of the Hegelian Dialectic? Les Années Rouges, which brings these three works together for the first time, revisits this little-known period in Badiou's career. Now that the author has fully entered the history of philosophy, it is time to fill this gap, allowing contemporary readers to understand the trajectory that led him from The Concept of Model to the development of Theory of the Subject.

But above all, the aim is to show that, in Badiou's work, polemic has never been separable from philosophy, but rather works from within it. The enduring relevance of Maoism undoubtedly lies here: in philosophy's engagement with the present, aiming to uncover its novelty and fault lines. In contrast to the various returns to political philosophy that have dominated recent decades, Badiou shows that philosophy—even at its most speculative and metaphysical—is inherently political.

To revisit the red years and the Maoist moment is therefore also to reconnect with a gesture, to reactivate an era that defenders of the neoliberal order would have preferred never to see return.

Published during a period of intense political and intellectual ferment in France following the events of May 1968, these texts reflect Alain Badiou's engagement with Marxist-Leninist and Maoist thought. By bringing together Theory of Contradiction, Of Ideology, and The Rational Kernel of the Hegelian Dialectic, this collection situates Badiou's early militant philosophy within the broader landscape of twentieth-century French theory. It traces his transition from structuralism toward a unique formulation of dialectical materialism, bridging the gap between his early mathematical epistemology and his later landmark work, Theory of the Subject.

This volume is highly valuable for researchers and students of continental philosophy, political theory, and the history of the global left. It addresses crucial questions about the relationship between speculative metaphysics and radical political action, challenging the conventional separation of pure philosophy from active polemic. Readers interested in how French intellectuals navigated the post-1968 decade will find here a rigorous defense of philosophy's political necessity. By examining these neglected texts, scholars can better understand how Badiou's contemporary ontology remains deeply rooted in his early, revolutionary commitments.