<i>Cut of the Real</i> is an important and original contribution to the complex discussions relating to subjectivity and identity. Through her nuanced reading of Lacan and Laruelle, Katerina Kolozova creates a powerful argument for a notion of democratic love that allows us to break through some of the ambiguities that have attended discussions of subjectivity, human nature, and the possibility of meaningful or radical social change. Her book will be a must-read in fields as diverse as philosophy, anthropology, and law.
- Drucilla Cornell, Rutgers University,
Kolozova's important new book is a fascinating disruption of the assumptions of poststructuralist feminism. Her creative extension of the 'non-philosophy' of Laruelle radicalizes feminist philosophy as it expands possibilities for theorizing the real as experienced. This is a major contribution to the new materialism.
- Jodi Dean, Hobart and William Smith Colleges,
<i>Cut of the Real</i> is destined to be an important contribution to ongoing debates in feminist, queer, gender, and race theory, as well as the newly emerging philosophical trend of speculative realism. It is my belief that Kolozova's book is the best introduction to Laruelle's thought to date and that it does an exceptional job discussing why it is valuable and what it can do.
- Levi R. Bryant, Collin College,
<i>Cut of the Real</i> is polemical and adventurous. It is also innovative in the positions it carves out for itself and in the figures and traditions it employs to carve them. On the one hand, it illuminates the value of [speculative realism and object-oriented ontology] for feminist theory, which in itself is an important theoretical achievement seeing as certain figures associated with these traditions. . . . systematically dismiss feminist theory as unimportant. On the other hand, this work also brings to the fore the ethical and political implications of the realist perspective.
Hypatia
Kolozova not only provides a valuable critique of the discursive grammar of contemporary continental philosophy, but also points the way beyond critique towards new constructive iterations of the concepts of the One and the Real.
Parrhesia
This work is an intersection of gender studies, philosophy, culture studies, with pertinent aspects of subjectivity. Anyone interested in any of these fields or connected with the humanities should read this book.
Slavic and East European Journal