Abstract
The following text is a translation of Georges Didi-Huberman’s Pour quoi obéir? (Montrouge: Bayard, 2022). A prefatory note to the French edition explains that the lecture series was inspired by Walter Benjamin’s radio talks for youths and that the speakers must effectively address children from ten years old and up as well as those who accompany them “in a gesture of friendship spanning generations.” I have occasionally included the original French in brackets, particularly as Didi-Huberman plays on words throughout the text, and these games cannot always be captured in English. This is even the case with title of the book: in French, “why” is normally written pourquoi, in one word. By writing it pour quoi, Didi-Huberman gets closer to the English “what for,” as quickly becomes apparent. I warmly thank James Leo Cahill for his invaluable support and assistance in preparing this translation.
Recommended Citation
Didi-Huberman, Georges and Valentine, Heath
(2024)
"Why Obey?,"
Discourse: Journal for Theoretical Studies in Media and Culture: Vol. 46:
Iss.
3, Article 1.
Available at:
https://digitalcommons.wayne.edu/discourse/vol46/iss3/1