In Praise of Friendship

The culture of friendship is in decline due to alienated work, closed nuclear families, and aggressive national or cultural communities. To resist fascist tendencies, we need to experiment with new forms of being together, despite divisions resulting from territorial and cultural identities or family relations. We need a renaissance of the culture of friendship.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 112 pages
Publication date: 26 February 2021
Publisher: John Hunt Publishing

The present era can be characterized as a period of decline, or at the very least, crisis, of a culture that revolves around friendship. As social beings, our existence is confined within a triangular framework, with three vertices: alienated work, subjected to the ruthless principle of competition; the closed, isolated nuclear family; and the national or "cultural community" formed through aggression towards a common enemy (the "alien"). It is precisely this constriction that leads to the decline of the culture of friendship, and conversely, this decline makes it increasingly challenging to envision alternative ways of life.

However, in order to resist the allure of resorting to clashing, violent particularisms and safeguard ourselves against the emergence of fascist or fascistoid tendencies on the political horizon, we must establish an opening that allows for the exploration of new forms of collective existence, despite the divisions arising from territorial and cultural identities, as well as family relations. What is required is a renaissance of the culture of friendship.

Originally published in Poland, this edition from Zero Books represents the first English language publication of In Praise of Friendship.

Weight: 118g
Dimension: 216 x 140 x 12 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781789043891