The best 10 books by Slavoj Žižek
The Slovenian philosopher Slavoj Žižek is considered by many people to be the most relevant European philosopher from the actuality.
His way of thinking, which mixes Marxism with the ideas of Jacques Lacan, is a sharp scalpel with which the pages of Žižek's books dissect both the current issues related to geopolitics and the great social phenomena that go marking the rhythm of the story.
The refugee crisis in the Middle East, the emergence of far-right movements, the emergence of forces calling for greater political participation for the popular classes and American invasions in other countries are analyzed by the Slovenian as part of a historical dynamic linked to the cyclical problems that appear in capitalism and, like Noam Chomsky, this philosopher believes that large oligopolies have the strength to influence our thinking schemes.
- We recommend: "20 phrases by Slavoj Žižek that will make you think"
Books by Slavoj Žižek to understand his philosophy
The work of Slavoj Žižek is especially interesting for those people who want to understand the role of our ideology in our way of thinking, acting and relating, as, for this philosopher, even the person most convinced of being apolitical clings to an ideology politics without being aware of it by not questioning it occasionally.
Let's see what they are the ten most important Slavoj Zizek books .
1. Welcome to the desert of the real
In this book, Žižek analyzes the post-9/11 world to question some of the "great truths" on which the western democracies settle and their diagnosis of the problems of the world. Some of the totems against which he posts in these pages are the speech of the war against terrorism that has prevailed for years in the United States or the supposed privileged position from which we are able to know the problems of non-Western countries from the developed democracies.
- If you are interested in the book, you can find more information on this link.
2. The year we dreamed dangerously
As in other books by Slavoj Žižek, here we talk about social movements and revolutions . However, here we talk about a period in which they gained special importance to the point of changing the way of thinking of many people: the year 2011, when protest movements such as the 15-M, Occupy Wall Street and when the so-called "Arab springs" gained strength. The philosopher analyzes the way in which these small cultural and political revolutions appeared and ended up mutating into less short-term initiatives.
- To read more about the book, click on this link.
3. Enjoy your symptom! Lacan in and out of Hollywood
In this book Slavoj Žižek shows his side more related to Lacanian psychoanalysis . With the large doses of humor and provocative mood that characterize him, the philosopher talks about film, psychoanalysis and ways in which our thinking articulates the perception of reality.
- If you are interested in the book, click here.
4. The new class struggle
The refugee crisis is tackled head on by this philosopher, who dedicates the book to emphasize the need to solve the problem from its root . Limit to manage the collection of refugees are to see further in the reading of the situation involves losing two wars: embrace the speech of the xenophobic extreme right and, on the other hand, legitimize the forms of military intervention in countries outside the welfare state.
- To read more about this work, click here.
5. Repeat Lenin
In the pages of this book, the Slovenian author describes the state of progressive movements and the way in which they depend on ambiguous principles that are easy to manipulate from the outside. The philosopher looks at the figure of Lenin to rescue principles of elaboration of speech and political argument .
- If you are interested in the book, click on this link.
6. First as a tragedy, then as a farce
In this book Žižek starts from his Marxist perspective to explain how liberalism, as an ideology, has collapsed , being unable to explain the crises experienced throughout the twentieth century, the way in which the property system serves to impose policies above the popular will and how under the formal freedom can perpetuate and increase inequalities more flagrant.
- On this page you will find more information about this book.
7. How to read Lacan
One of the best known Žižek books, although its title is somewhat deceptive; more than being a guide about how to interpret the writings and seminars of the French psychoanalyst, is a way to understand the way in which Zizek gives birth to Lacanian thought in his analysis of reality and art.
- To read more about this book go to this page.
8. In defense of intolerance
Žižek dedicates the pages of this book to criticizing the depoliticization of the economy and moral relativism that for the philosopher does not do more than to feed a system of domination based on the neoliberalism and that, nevertheless, is assumed by movements of lefts.
- Are you interested in this book? Here is more information about him.
9. The sublime object of ideology
One of Žižek's books that deepens the philosophy of this author. In The sublime object of ideology, this philosopher criticizes ideas deeply rooted in postmodern philosophy and in the relativism to which it is associated through psychoanalytic theory.
- To read more about this work, click here.
10. The puppet and the dwarf: the perverse core of Christianity
In this work Žižek talks about the religious phenomenon, focusing on the Judeo-Christian tradition and the recent forms of New Age spirituality . Starting from an analysis very focused on the political implications of religious beliefs, he points out the way in which religion is explained through the Lacanian psychoanalytic ideas.
- If you are interested in the book, you can know more about it here.
