One of the most original thinkers of the twentieth century, Julia Kristeva has been driving forward the fields of literary and cultural studies since the 1960s. This volume is an accessible, introductory guide to the main themes of Kristeva's work, including her ideas on:
*semiotics and symbolism
*abjection
*melancholia
*feminism
*revolt.
McAfee provides clear explanations of the more difficult aspects of Kristeva's theories, helpfully placing her ideas in the relevant theoretical context, be it literary theory, psychoanalysis, linguistics, gender studies or philosophy, and demonstrates the impact of her critical interventions in these areas.Julia Kristeva is the essential guide for readers who are approaching the work of this challenging thinker for the first time, and provides the ideal opportunity for those with more knowledge to re-familiarise themselves with Kristeva's key terms.
Noëlle Claire McAfee is Associate Professor of Philosophy and Coordinator of Gender Studies at the University of Massachusetts Lowell. She is also Associate Editor of the Kettering Review, a journal of political thought published by the Kettering Foundation. McAfee specializes in social and political philosophy, feminist theory, twentieth century continental philosophy, and ethics. She combines philosophic research in deliberative democratic theory with investigations in the public sphere, including new experiments being conducted around the globe. She is the author of Habermas, Kristeva, and Citizenship (Cornell University Press, 2000) and the co-editor, with James Veninga, of Standing with the Public: the Humanities and Democratic Practice (Kettering Foundation Press, 1997).
