Gordienko's The Philosophical Militant presents a rich and novel account of Alain Badiou's work, with an emphasis on its relationship to politics and political activism, or “militancy.” Gordienko presents Badiou's central concepts not only in terms of his three primary contemporary influences -- Sartre, Althusser, and Lacan -- but also in relation to Foucault, who is rarely considered in conjunction with Badiou. Gordienko goes on to discuss the implications of Badiou's thinking for current political discussions and situations, such as the concepts of democracy, liberalism and neoliberalism, the politicization of the Covid pandemic, and the ascendency of right-wing nationalism. Gordienko's book takes a giant step forward in the urgent project of making Badiou's ideas available for both experimental critical theory and direct political practice.

Kenneth Reinhard, Research Professor of Comparative Literature and English, UCLA

Gordienko's book on Badiou is a brilliant, rigorous, and timely intervention into contemporary political philosophy. By staging a critical dialogue with Sartre, Lacan, Althusser, and Foucault (among others) the book situates Badiou within a lineage of radical thought while also mounting an uncompromising polemic against the ideological complacencies of our technocratic order. Rejecting the conciliatory gestures of liberal capitalism, Gordienko reasserts the vitality of (anti)philosophy as a political act-one committed to confronting the Real and reimagining the conditions of the possible.

Fabio Vighi, Professor of Italian and Critical Theory, Cardiff University