The Movement of Being: A Minor Literature of the Body

Adam Foster’s thesis, "The Movement of Being," challenges traditional political thought by critiquing the liberal model of the individual as a self-contained, rational, and autonomous entity. Drawing heavily on the philosophies of Gilles Deleuze and Félix Guattari, Foster argues that the human body is not a static object but a fluid site of "becoming" shaped by external forces. He categorizes mainstream political theory as a "major literature" that uses the philosophies of Descartes and Hobbes to enforce a rigid, state-aligned view of subjectivity. In contrast, he proposes a "minor literature" centered on affect, which views the body as a collection of prepersonal intensities and powers. By analyzing cultural examples like the Bling Ring and films such as Magnolia, the text illustrates how bodies are constantly conditioned by their surroundings rather than internal logic. Ultimately, Foster advocates for a micropolitics of resistance that moves beyond the individual to embrace the body’s ephemeral and social nature.