Rancière, Jacques (1940—)
French philosopher. Born in Algeria, Rancière completed his undergraduate studies in Paris at the prestigious finishing school, École Normale Supérieure (ANT). There Rancière, along with fellow students Balibar, Étienne, Macherey, Pierre, and Pêcheux, Michel, worked very closely with Althusser, Louis. They all collaborated on a major re-reading of Marxism, which culminated in the publication of Lire le capital (1968), translated as Reading Capital (1970). However, almost as soon as the book was published the group fell out with Althusser over his failure to respond to the events of May ’68, and in subsequent editions the contributions of everyone except Balibar were excised. Rancière settles his account with Althusser in the rather stern critique La Leçon d’Althusser (The Lesson of Althusser, 1974). A highly prolific author, Rancière’s many publications have focused on three main areas of interest---aesthetics, politics, and pedagogy and explored the interrelationships between the three. Further Reading: N. Hewlett Badiou, Balibar, Rancière: Re-Thinking Emancipation (2007). T. May The Political Thought of Jacques Rancière: Creating Equality (2008).