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[email protected] warwick.ac.uk/lib-publications Guy Debord’s Situationism: Theory, Politics, Ethics, Protest by Alex Corcos A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in French Studies University of Warwick, School of Modern Languages and Cultures July 2016 Contents Introduction 1 Chapter One: Marxism and the Theory of Spectacle Alienation and the Commodity 11 Professional Marxism 22 Art, Leisure, Consumerism 36 Technology and Desire 49 Chapter Two: The Theory and Practice of Détournement 62 Plagiarism and le communisme littéraire 64 The Strengths and Limits of Situationist Propaganda 75 Avec et contre le cinéma 85 Chapter Three: Ethics 112 Derrida, Play and the Decision 113 Friendship and Exclusion 141 Chapter Four: ‘The Beginning of an Era’ 157 Les événements 158 Labour, Subjectivity, Communication 173 Debt, Exchange and Time 180 The University and Protest 185 Conclusion 199 Bibliography 212 Declaration I confirm that the material in this thesis represents my own work and has not been submitted for a degree at another university. Abstract Guy Debord (1931-1994) was the director of the International situationniste journal and de facto leader of the group of artists, writers, filmmakers and political agitators who went by the same name.