Author ORCID Identifier
0000-0002-6315-6630
Abstract
This article explores the philosophical significance of islands through the lens of Gilles Deleuze’s geophilosophy, reframing their role in shaping planetary perspectives. Deleuze’s essay “Desert Islands” transcends geographical interpretations, positioning islands as metaphysical entities that embody the tension between separation and renewal. This duality, characterized by a longing for isolation and the utopian desire for reinvention, informs his broader philosophical framework. Islands, for Deleuze, serve as spaces of resistance and innovation, challenging dominant political and social structures. Deleuze’s distinction between continental and oceanic islands operates as a metaphor for contrasting modes of thought and governance, tying his conceptualization of geography to politics, economics, and power. His analysis intersects with Michel Foucault’s concept of governmentality and Carl Schmitt’s discussion of the ocean-land dichotomy, revealing how spatial considerations underpin historical and political dynamics. The island’s inherent resistance to annexation symbolizes a challenge to terrestrial power, highlighting unresolved tensions between land and sea. Deleuze’s critique extends to literary representations, notably Daniel Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe and Michel Tournier’s Friday. Through these texts, he interrogates colonial and bourgeois ideologies, emphasizing the island as an active participant in shaping human subjectivity and social organization. Deleuze’s notion of “desert islands” emerges as a metaphor for untapped political and social potential, a “Third World” that transcends geographical definitions to signify spaces of experimentation and alternative subjectivities. By reimagining islands as sites of rhizomatic, non-hierarchical configurations, Deleuze advances a vision of archipelagic ontology—an embrace of multiplicity and diversity. This article situates Deleuze’s island philosophy within a broader framework of resistance to global capitalism and state power, offering a radical lens to envision new forms of community and governance.
Recommended Citation
Lee, Alex Taek-Gwang
(2025)
"Deleuze’s Concept of Islands and Archipelagic Ontology,"
Kritika Kultura:
No.
46, Article 7.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.13185/1656-152X.2156
Available at:
https://archium.ateneo.edu/kk/vol1/iss46/7
