Gilles deleuze and new materialism: Rethinking subjectivity and language after the linguistic turn

Abstract

This chapter explores the emergence and ascent of New Materialism, a paradigm that has gained prominence across the humanities, social sciences, arts, and natural sciences since the 1990s. The ideas of Gilles Deleuze have been instrumental in the development of New Materialism, influencing notable thinkers like Manuel DeLanda and Rosi Braidotti. Additionally, Deleuze's work has impacted adjacent fields, including posthumanism, affect theory, process ontology, speculative realism, and object-oriented ontology. Reacting against the linguistic focus of the Linguistic Turn, Deleuze-alongside Félix Guattari-proposed a materialist theory of language, which became a critical factor in this theoretical shift. This chapter analyses Deleuze's theory of language (and its implications for subjectivity) in relation to feminist thought and cultural studies, which have increasingly moved away from linguistic approaches. In conclusion, the chapter examines the enduring influence of Deleuze's ideas on the current prominence of materialist and posthumanist thinking.