On Rebellion & Revolution: Albert Camus' The Rebel Reconsidered
In: Dissent: a journal devoted to radical ideas and the values of socialism and democracy, Band 36, S. 376-384
ISSN: 0012-3846
A discussion of The Rebel by Albert Camus (New York: Vintage, 1956), a work that, despite its relevance to understanding the modern Western world, tends to be generally ignored due to the difficulty in categorizing it within intellectual tradition & the political climate at the time it was written, causing it to be greatly misinterpreted. It is argued that The Rebel actually represents neither Marxist nor liberal political vision, but rather, a view of democratic socialism. This thesis is defended through analysis of Marxism, & a reevaluation of the "liberalism" ascribed to The Rebel. Parallels between postmodern politics & Camus's views are described, with a caution that these similarities should not be overemphasized. C. Grindle