Althusser

the long version

Philosopher-general of the generation of May 1968, Louis Althusser was one of the most complex - and certainly the most controversial - of the maitres a penser to emerge from the turbulent Parisian intellectual scene of the 1960s. In a long career, clouded by madness and murder, Althusser achieved celebrity, notoriety, and finally, effacement. Yet his work remains an undeniably vital element in the still-shifting map of contemporary philosophy and cultural critique, and the posthumous publication of his 'autobiography', The Future Lasts a Long Time, has stimulated renewed interest in it. This volume assesses the enduring importance and influence of 'Althusserianism', both in relation to, and far beyond, the controversies of his political career and the traumatic events of his personal biography.