Balibar, Etienne, 1942-

Et́ienne Balibar is best known as a Marxist philosopher and political theorist focused on historical materialism, critical theory, ethics, and political philosophy. As a student of Louis Althusser at the École Normale Supérieure from 1960 to 1965, Balibar contributed to Althusser's collective theoretical work Reading Capital(1965). Major books written by Balibar include Spinoza and Politics (1985), Race, Nation, Class (with Immanuel Wallerstein, 1991), The Philosophy of Marx (1993), Politics and the Other Scene (2002), and We, the People of Europe? Reflections on Transnational Citizenship (2004). Étienne Balibar was born in Avallon, Yonne, Bourgogne, France on April 23, 1942. He earned a Bachelor of Philosophy degree in 1962 and Diploma of Higher Studies in 1963 from the University of Paris (Sorbonne) while a student at the École Normale Supérieure. In 1987, he earned a Doctor of Philosophy degree, cum laude, from the Katholieke Universiteit Nijmegen (Netherlands) for his dissertation entitled, "The infinite contradiction: elements of a philosophy in history." Balibar received an honorary doctorate from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (Greece) in 2005. Étienne Balibar is Professor Emeritus of moral and political philosophy at the University of Paris, Nanterre and Distinguished Professor of Humanities at the University of California, Irvine.

From the description of Étienne Balibar papers, 1963 - 2001. (University of California, Irvine). WorldCat record id: 781297861

Biography

Etienne Balibar is best known as a Marxist philosopher and political theorist focused on historical materialism, critical theory, ethics, and political philosophy. As a student of Louis Althusser at the École Normale Supérieure from 1960 to 1965, Balibar contributed to Althusser's collective theoretical work Reading Capital (1965). Major books written by Balibar include Spinoza and Politics (1985), Race, Nation, Class (with Immanuel Wallerstein, 1991), The Philosophy of Marx (1993), Politics and the Other Scene (2002), and We, the People of Europe? Reflections on Transnational Citizenship (2004).

Etienne Balibar was born in Avallon, Yonne, Bourgogne, France on April 23, 1942. He earned a Bachelor of Philosophy degree in 1962 and Diploma of Higher Studies in 1963 from the University of Paris (Sorbonne) while a student at the École Normale Supérieure. In 1987, he earned a Doctor of Philosophy degree, cum laude, from the Katholieke Universiteit Nijmegen (Netherlands) for his dissertation entitled, "The infinite contradiction: elements of a philosophy in history."

Balibar received an honorary doctorate from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (Greece) in 2005. Etienne Balibar is Professor Emeritus of moral and political philosophy at the University of Paris, Nanterre and Distinguished Professor of Humanities at the University of California, Irvine.

Chronology

• 1942: Etienne Balibar born in Avallon, Yonne, Bourgogne, France on April 23.
• 1960: Begins studies at Ecole Normale Supérieure, Paris, ending in 1965.
• 1961: Joins the French Communist Party
• 1962: Receives Bachelor of Philosophy degree from Sorbonne.
• 1963: Receives Diploma of Higher Studies under direction of Georges Canguilhem, Sorbonne.
• 1965: Joins the University of Algiers as Assistant, leaving in 1967. Publishes <title render="italic">Lire le Capital</title> (English translation, Reading Capital in 1970), a collection of essays developed by Louis Althusser and his students (Balibar, Roger Establet, Jacques Rancière, Pierre Macherey, and others) in a seminar on Karl Marx's <title render="italic">Das Kapital</title>.
• 1967: Joins the School of Savigny sur Orge as Professor, leaving in 1969.
• 1969: Joins the University of Paris I as Assistant, then Senior Lecturer, leaving in 1976.
• 1976: Joins Rijksuniversiteit Leiden you (Netherlands) as Wetenschappelijk Hoofdmedewerker, Faculteit der Rechtsgeleerdheid, leaving in 1977. Publishes<title render="italic"> Sur la dictature du prolétariat </title>(English translation, On the Dictatorship of the Proletariat in 1977)
• 1977: Joins the University of Paris I as Senior Lecturer, leaving in 1994.
• 1981: Expelled from the French Communist Party for criticizing the party's attitudes towards immigration.
• 1985: Publishes Spinoza et la politique (English translation, Spinoza and Politics in 1998)
• 1987: Receives Ph.D. degree in Philosophy from Katholieke Universiteit Nijmegen (Netherlands).
• 1988: Publishes Race, Nation, Classe (English translation as Race, Nation, Class in 1991).
• 1993: Publishes La philosophie de Marx (English translation, The Philosophy of Marx in 1995)
• 1994: Joins University of Paris, Nanterre as Professor. Publishes <title render="italic">Masses, classes, ideas. Studies in politics and philosophy</title>
• 2000: Becomes Distinguished Professor of Humanities at the University of California, Irvine.
• 2003: Publishes L’Europe, l’Amérique, la Guerre. Réflexions sur la médiation européenne
• 2002: Becomes Professor Emeritus at the University of Paris, Nanterre. Publishes <title render="italic">Politics and the Other Scene</title>
• 2004: Publishes We, the People of Europe? Reflections on Transnational Citizenship
• 2005: Receives honorary doctorate from Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (Greece).

From the guide to the Etienne Balibar papers, 1963-2001, (Special Collections and Archives, University of California, Irvine Libraries)