Against Work: Collected Writings

Franco ＂Bifo＂ Berardi is one of today’s most influential contemporary thinkers. The only anthology of his philosophical and political writing, Against Work offers a collection of Bifo’s essential texts over 40 years in English for the first time.

In the course of his illustrious career Bifo has taken many faces, and many forms; media pioneer and early cybercultural theorist, significant Autonomist activist, critic of Negri, confidante to Guattari. His philosophical critiques range from the future of Europe, the violence of contemporary culture, evaluations of poetry, art and fiction, hallucinatory dystopian visions, and revolutionary manifestos. His analysis of work is particularly crucial as one of the key articulations of the ’refusal of work’ movement. This is now particularly resonant with present ideas of accelerationism, strategies that engage with technology and work, and debates around automation. The emergence of the ’alt-right’ and other reactionary movements also bring relevance to Bifo’s work on fascism and fascist tendencies unleashed by capitalism and technology.

Divided by decade, each section has a brand new introduction by a guest author, friend and collaborator, who talk about their lives at that time, and concluded with an exclusive piece by Bifo himself. Mixing philosophical-political account of Bifo’s developing thought, and overviews of the work that made Bifo’s reputation at home and internationally, this volume offers a unique glimpse into a passionate and adventurous philosophical life.

Franco ＂Bifo＂ Berardi is an Marxist theorist, founder of the famous ＂Radio Alice＂ in Bologna and an important figure of the Italian Autonomia Movement. His work mainly focuses on the role of the media and information technology within post-industrial capitalism. He currently teaches Social History of the Media at the Accademia di Brera, Milan, Italy.

Federico Campagna is a Sicilian philosopher based in London. He is visiting lecturer at Royal College of Art, UK, and author of Technic and Magic (Bloomsbury, forthcoming 2018).