Rhizome (philosophy)

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A rhizome is a concept in post-structuralism describing an assemblage that allows connections between any of its constituent elements, regardless of any predefined ordering, structure, or entry point. [1] [2] [3] It is a central concept in the work of French Theorists Gilles Deleuze and Felix Guattari, who use the term frequently in their development of schizoanalysis.

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Deleuze and Guattari use the terms "rhizome" and "rhizomatic" (from Ancient Greek ῥίζωμα, rhízōma, "mass of roots") to describe a network that "connects any point to any other point". [3] The term is first introduced in Deleuze and Guattari's 1975 book Kafka: Toward a Minor Literature to suggest that Kafka's work is not bound by linear narrative structure, and can be entered into at any point to map out connections with other points. [1] [4]

The term is heavily expanded upon in Deleuze and Guattari's 1980 work A Thousand Plateaus , where it is used to refer to networks that establish "connections between semiotic chains, organizations of power, and circumstances relative to the arts, sciences and social struggles." [3]

Opposition to arborescence

An illustration of rhizome in opposition to arborescence from a 2006 exhibition of works inspired by A Thousand Plateaus at the Doris McCarthy Gallery. The red structure in the image is a tree, which presupposes a linear ordering over its elements that emanates from the root. The green structure in the image is a rhizome, which ceaselessly establishes connections across branches in the tree, without regard for the predefined order. Rhizome vs tree.jpg
An illustration of rhizome in opposition to arborescence from a 2006 exhibition of works inspired by A Thousand Plateaus at the Doris McCarthy Gallery. The red structure in the image is a tree, which presupposes a linear ordering over its elements that emanates from the root. The green structure in the image is a rhizome, which ceaselessly establishes connections across branches in the tree, without regard for the predefined order.

Arborescent (French : arborescent) refers to the shape and structure of a tree. In A Thousand Plateaus , the concept of rhizome is introduced through a botanical metaphor, which contrasts the rhizomatic character of underground root systems to the natural hierarchical ordering present in trees. [4] [2] [3]

Deleuze and Guattari extend this metaphor beyond botanical trees to the realm of abstract and linguistic trees. [2] [3]

Approximate characteristics

In A Thousand Plateaus, Deleuze and Guattari write that "The rhizome itself assumes very diverse forms... but we get the feeling that we will convince no one unless we enumerate certain approximate characteristics." [3] These approximate characteristics are:

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Young, Eugene; Genosko, Gary; Watson, Janell (2013-12-05). The Deleuze and Guattari Dicationary. Bloomsbury Academic. pp. 171, 262. ISBN   978-0826442765.
  2. 1 2 3 Adkins, Brent (2015). Deleuze and Guattari's A Thousand Plateaus: A Critical Introduction and Guide. Edinburgh University Press. pp. 23, 76. ISBN   9780748686469.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Deleuze, Gilles; Guattari, Félix (1987) [1980]. A Thousand Plateaus. Translated by Massumi, Brian. University of Minnesota Press. pp. 5, 7. ISBN   0-8166-1402-4.
  4. 1 2 Stivale, Charles (2005). Gilles Deleuze: Key Concepts. McGill-Queen's University Press. pp. 150, 52. ISBN   9781844652884.
  5. ↑ "Introduction: Rhizome · Happy Sleepy". Happy Sleepy. Retrieved 2024-12-21.
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