Slavoj Žižek, Welcome to the Desert of the Real

Kelsey Wood (University of Arkansas at Little Rock)

Ed. by Gerhard P. Knapp, University of Utah
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.5.2.07: French Writing and Culture: Postwar and Contemporary, 1945-present.
Vol. editors: Kate Averis (University of Western Australia), Hugo Azerad (University of Cambridge), Patrick ffrench (King's College London), Edward Forman (University of Bristol), Akane Kawakami (Birkbeck, University of London), Siobhán McIlvanney (King's College London), Sinan Richards (King's College London), Tim Unwin (University of Bristol), David Williams (University of Sheffield)

Domains

Critical Theory

Dates

First circulation or publication 2002

Places

England (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Commentary / criticism

Resources

Save to Bookshelf

One of Žižek’s more spirited interventions is

Welcome to the Desert of the Real: Five Essays on September 11 and Related Dates

(2001). This book (abbreviated

Welcome

below) is a pointed attack on the ideology of global capitalism. Žižek argues that — after the tragic events of September 11, 2001 — the United States of America had an opportunity to confront the symbolic inconsistency of its liberal-democratic ideology. But despite assertions that nothing would “ever be the same again”, the United States failed even to recognize the possibility for substantial change. Instead, the USA found ways to not only reaffirm, but even to

reinforce

its commitment to world-market globalism.

The choice we are offered today (ca. 2001) between democracy or fundamentalism involves the

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2453 words

Citation: Wood, Kelsey. "Welcome to the Desert of the Real". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 14 February 2013 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=23496, accessed 23 November 2024.]