Franco Berardi
Encyclopedia
Franco "Bifo" Berardi is an Italian Marxist theorist and activist working in the autonomist tradition and mainly focusing on the role of the media and information technology in post-industrial capitalism. Berardi has written over two dozen published books, as well as a more extensive number of essays and speeches.
, 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). 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.
, 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. 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." 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. Among Berardi's other concerns are cultural representations and expectations about the future - from proto-Fascist Futurism
to post-modern cyberpunk
[1993]. This represents a greater concern with ideas and cultural expectations than orthodox Marxism, which is often confined to purely economic or systemic analysis.
Creative Work and Activism
In 1962, at the age of 14, Berardi became a member of the Italian Communist Youth FederationItalian Communist Youth Federation
The Italian Communist Youth Federation was the youth wing of the Partito Comunista Italiano , and the direct heir of the Federazione Giovanile Comunista d'Italia of the PCd'I.-History:...
, but was expelled due to "factionalism." He participated in the events of May '68 at the University of Bologna
University of Bologna
The Alma Mater Studiorum - University of Bologna is the oldest continually operating university in the world, the word 'universitas' being first used by this institution at its foundation. The true date of its founding is uncertain, but believed by most accounts to have been 1088...
, 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
Radio Alice
Radio Alice was an Italian free radio broadcasting from Bologna at the end of the 1970s. It started transmitting on February 9, 1976 using an ex-military transmitter on a frequency of 100.6 MHz. The station was closed by the carabinieri on March 12, 1977. Radio Alice then re-opened again for two...
, 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
Félix Guattari
Pierre-Félix Guattari was a French militant, an institutional psychotherapist, philosopher, and semiotician; he founded both schizoanalysis and ecosophy...
in the field of schizoanalysis
Schizoanalysis
Schizoanalysis was first introduced in 1972 by philosopher Gilles Deleuze and psychoanalyst Félix Guattari in their book Anti-Oedipus. Its formulation was continued in their follow-up work, A Thousand Plateaus...
. 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). 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
Telestreet
Telestreet is an Italian movement that set up pirate TV stations in several metropolian areas in Italy. The movement has started up in Bologna with a small transmitting station, OrfeoTv, which was founded by media theorist and activist Franco "Bifo" Berardi; since June 2002, this micro-tv has been...
movement, founding the channel Orfeo TV.
Theories
Unlike orthodox Marxists, Franco's autonomist theories draw on psychoanalysisPsychoanalysis
Psychoanalysis is a psychological theory developed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries by Austrian neurologist Sigmund Freud. Psychoanalysis has expanded, been criticized and developed in different directions, mostly by some of Freud's former students, such as Alfred Adler and Carl Gustav...
, schizoanalysis
Schizoanalysis
Schizoanalysis was first introduced in 1972 by philosopher Gilles Deleuze and psychoanalyst Félix Guattari in their book Anti-Oedipus. Its formulation was continued in their follow-up work, A Thousand Plateaus...
and communication theory
Communication theory
Communication theory is a field of information and mathematics that studies the technical process of information and the human process of human communication.- History :- Origins :...
to show how subjectivity
Subjectivity
Subjectivity refers to the subject and his or her perspective, feelings, beliefs, and desires. In philosophy, the term is usually contrasted with objectivity.-Qualia:...
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. 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." 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. Among Berardi's other concerns are cultural representations and expectations about the future - from proto-Fascist Futurism
Futurism
Futurism was an artistic and social movement that originated in Italy in the early 20th century.Futurism or futurist may refer to:* Afrofuturism, an African-American and African diaspora subculture* Cubo-Futurism* Ego-Futurism...
to post-modern cyberpunk
Cyberpunk
Cyberpunk is a postmodern and science fiction genre noted for its focus on "high tech and low life." The name is a portmanteau of cybernetics and punk, and was originally coined by Bruce Bethke as the title of his short story "Cyberpunk," published in 1983...
[1993]. This represents a greater concern with ideas and cultural expectations than orthodox Marxism, which is often confined to purely economic or systemic analysis.
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 Power of Workers' Utopia. 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
- "Futurism and the reversal of the future". London: May 2009.
- "Communism is back but we should call it the therapy of singularisation". London: February 2009.
- "The Post-Futurist Manifesto". Trans. R. W. Flint. 2009.
- "Biopolitics and Connective Mutation". Culture Machine, Vol. 7, 2005.
- "What is the Meaning of Autonomy Today: Subjectivation, Social Composition, Refusal of Work". Replicart. September 2003.
- "The Obsession with Identity Fascism". Trans. Steve Wright. From The Ominous Utopia of Worker Control (Untranslated text, 1997).
- "Info Labour and Precarity". Trans. Eric Empson.
External links
- Biography at Generation-Online
- Biography at Affinity Project
- Rekombitant. A discussion website regarding the self-organization of cognitive labour and media activism in information capitalism.
See also
- Gilles DeleuzeGilles DeleuzeGilles Deleuze , was a French philosopher who, from the early 1960s until his death, wrote influentially on philosophy, literature, film, and fine art. His most popular works were the two volumes of Capitalism and Schizophrenia: Anti-Oedipus and A Thousand Plateaus , both co-written with Félix...
- Felix GuattariFélix GuattariPierre-Félix Guattari was a French militant, an institutional psychotherapist, philosopher, and semiotician; he founded both schizoanalysis and ecosophy...
- Michel FoucaultMichel FoucaultMichel Foucault , born Paul-Michel Foucault , was a French philosopher, social theorist and historian of ideas...
- Post-StructuralismPost-structuralismPost-structuralism is a label formulated by American academics to denote the heterogeneous works of a series of French intellectuals who came to international prominence in the 1960s and '70s...
- Post-MarxismPost-MarxismPost-Marxism has two related, but different uses: the socio-economic circumstances of Eastern Europe, especially in the ex-soviet republics after the Soviet Union's end; and the extrapolations of the philosophers and social theorists basing their postulations upon Karl Marx's writings and Marxism...