Jean Baudrillard is one of the most important and provocative writers in the contemporary era. Widely acclaimed as the prophet of postmodernism, he has famously announced the disappearance of the subject, meaning, truth, class and the notion of reality itself. Although he worked as a sociologist, his writing has enjoyed a wide interdisciplinary popularity and influence. He is read by students of sociology, cultural studies, philosophy, literature, French and geography.

Organized into eight sections, the volumes provide the most complete guide to Baudrillard currently available:

Section 1: Theoretical Issues

In this section the central themes informing Baudrillard's work are defined and discussed. Baudrillard's place in contemporary social thought is examined through considerations of how his work has been received. The importance of signs and the sign economy in ...

A Challenge to Theory: Introduction to Jean Baudrillard

MikeGane

Baudrillard's career has not been a typical one. He was the first generation from his family, based in the Ardennes region of north eastern France, to establish a position as teacher and university lecturer. An outstandingly gifted student, he nevertheless did not take the classic route to the agrégation and the Grandes Ecoles. In fact he absconded from the preparatory class for university, and subsequently had to struggle to get a university job after many years teaching languages in French lycées. He was drawn into radical politics under the influence of Sartre in the period of the Algerian crisis. In the early 1960s he became known as the principal translator of Peter Weiss, as well as translator ...

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