Event{u}al Disruptions: Postmodern Theory and Alain Badiou

This (rather theoretical) paper juxtaposes three ‘postmodern’ tendencies (epistemology, monocentrism and its idea of events) with Alain Badiou’s ontological approach that implies multiple multiplicities and the singular event. By referring to the work of Jacques Derrida, Michael Hardt and Antonio Negri, as well as Gilles Deleuze, I seek to offer an insight into postmodern (Literary and Cultural) theory’s attachment to certain beliefs that pose problems to movements of resistance, as well as conceptualizations of anything ‘new.’ By introducing Alain Badiou’s thoughts on postmodern theory as well as his divergence from this path, I illuminate his potential for critical analyses in American Studies to come.