Interpassivity

'New concepts are rare in social thinking, and interpassivity is arguably the only true concept to have emerged in the last two decades. The idea that others can not only act for us but that they can also be passive for us, that we can enjoy, believe, laugh and cry through others, provides the key to understanding the paradoxes of our cynical-hedonist era. So let's not beat around the bush, Interpassivity is simply one of the great founding texts of social thought, on a par with works of classics like Max Weber.' Slavoj Zizek A radical criticism of current assumptions in the field of cultural theory today Robert Pfaller advances a general theory of interpassivity as the wish for delegated consumption and enjoyment in both art and everyday life. It is therefore a concept that allows him to tackle a vast range of phenomena: culture, art, sports and religion. He asks: Why do people record TV programmes instead of watching them? Why are former alcoholics pleased to let other people drink in their place? Why can ritual machines pray in place of believers? Asking these unusual questions allows us to understand not only certain modes of behaviour but also mechanisms of pleasure in culture. Pfaller provides criticism of dominant assumptions, offers an escape from prevailing ideologies and exposes the ways in which cultural capitalism promotes commodities with the promise of happiness. Robert Pfaller is Professor of Philosophy and Cultural Theory at the University of Art and Industrial Design of Linz, Austria. Cover design: [EUP logo] edinburghuniversitypress.com ISBN [PPC] 978-1-4744-2292-5 ISBN [cover] 978-1-4744-2293-2 Barcode