Deleuze’s Politics: From Marxism to the Missing People

This deep dive examines a paper by Alain Beaulieu which examines the political philosophy of Gilles Deleuze, highlighting his unique resistance to global capitalism and the modern democratic state. Deleuze is characterized as a "Marxist without being Marxist," rejecting traditional party affiliation and violent revolutions in favor of a continuous struggle against repressive social apparatuses. He argues that both neoliberalism and psychoanalysis stifle human desire, which he believes should instead function like a "war machine" to disrupt established hierarchies. Central to this thought is the concept of a "missing people," a collection of marginalized or nomadic individuals who resist the status quo through minor art and literature. Ultimately, Deleuzian politics shifts away from institutional power toward an ethical experimentation with singular lifestyles and creative defiance.