Spinoza, New Materialism and the Contemporary

Spinoza, New Materialism and the Contemporary is a book about change. Through its border passing interpretations, it not only transforms the dominant contemporary views of Spinoza but, more significantly, it puts into question the assumptions of those that have produced the dominant view, such as Althusser, Negri, Deleuze, as well as the new materialism and the ontological turn, including Latour, Bennett and Braidotti. These interpretations deploy Spinoza as a trope by which they suspend the class contradictions of capitalism and construct a new spiritual capitalism. This book, through materialist analysis of Spinoza, puts class back in cultural theory.

Kimberly DeFazio is Associate Professor of English at University of Wisconsin La Crosse, USA.