Of “reversal,” on revolutional: Violence and the institution

pages: 157-171

Abstract

We should investigate whether the phrase l’institution révolutionnaire best describes Deleuze’s imaginary theory of the institution, as well as his engagement with the theory more generally. The preliminary difficulty, which immediately questions and devalues our commentary, is Deleuze’s own refusal to thematize the institution and his own effort, and thus actually answer his own questions from the 1950s: what is it that explains the institution? And what should perfect institutions be like, that is, ones opposed to all agreement, and which suppose a minimum of laws? Deleuze’s carelessness and effectively his abandonment of his own early attempt at thinking the institution, could possibly mark his intuition and recognition that the thematization of the institution is, as of yet, an impossible task. Keywords: institution, violence, renversement, revolution, l’institution révolutionnaire