Rethematisation of Aisthesis: Rancière vs. Deleuze

Abstract

The text tries to show that Rancière’s rethematisation of aisthesis is also “polemics” with a “hidden interlocutor” – Gilles Deleuze. Deleuze is the exemplary case in philosophy of what Rancière calls the aesthetic regime of art. The reconstruction of the (inexistent) debate with Deleuze renders manifest not only the philosophical dimensions of the aesthetic regime, but also some open dilemmas and impasses of Rancière’s own philosophical position. The first part of the text outlines some unexpected parallels between Deleuze and Rancière, the second presents Rancière’s critique of Deleuze, the third and final part outlines Deleuze’s Copernican turn, and its consequences, parallels, and differences with Rancière.