The Event of Charlie Hebdo: Imaginaries of Freedom and Control ed. by Alessandro Zagato (review)

Reviews 287 of Rousseauan relations. Examining a wide range of Rousseau’s works including Émile, Julie, the Discourses, the Social Contract, the Letter to D’Alembert, the Reveries and others, Warner surveys “the major forms of human association” (2) in Rousseau’s thought. Adopting a perspective that is both literary and philosophical, Warner examines relationships based on pity, sexual desire, romantic love, friendship, and political association. In so doing, he seeks to determine whether or not these varied relationships can resolve the fundamental problem of man in society. This problem is defined in the study not as the establishment of freedom, but rather as the creation of inner unity within the fragmented individual. Warner’s keen eye for detail leads to complex and subtle analyses that defy simplistic resolution of the problem. Statements such as “I emphasize the defectiveness of Rousseau’s characterizations of the state of nature and the sentiment of pity not because he was unaware of them, but because he was” (69), or “the cross-cutting pressures that constitute social life overwhelm all efforts at comprehensive resolution, and the hybrid character of political life ends up producing the very dividedness it was set up to prevent” (28), exemplify Warner’s ability to tease out the not-so-obvious complexities, contradictions, and paradoxes of Rousseau’s thought. The author’s firm grasp of Rousseau’s works and modern-day criticism keeps the study on solid ground at all times, and the reader is bound to walk away from the book with much that is new and thought-provoking. Warner’s style is clear, concise, and aesthetically pleasing, with no small amount of wit worked into chapter subsection titles that include pop-culture references such as Lawrence Tureaud’s signature tagline (69) and English punk rock song lyrics (113). Far from diminishing the gravitas of Warner’s argument, such well-placed references provide a topic-appropriate release in tension as Warner dives deeper and deeper into his“tragic” (217) interpretation of Rousseau’s self-conscious “failure” (4, 217) to resolve the problem of the individual in society. Warner provocatively concludes that this selfconscious failure shows Rousseau’s intent was not to reform society, but rather to bring about the“moral improvement and transformation of individual readers”(225). Such a conclusion will no doubt generate discussion amongst specialists, as all worthwhile ideas should. Rousseau and the Problem of Human Relations will be of value to literary and political scholars specializing in Rousseau studies, as well as specialists in other areas of Enlightenment literature, history, and political philosophy. Ohio University Christopher Coski Zagato, Alessandro, ed. The Event of Charlie Hebdo: Imaginaries of Freedom and Control. New York: Berghanh, 2015. ISBN 978-1-78533-079-9. Pp. 114. $13. Les neuf articles de ce court volume s’interrogent sur les conséquences sociopolitiques de l’attaque terroriste du 7 janvier 2015 contre le journal satirique Charlie Hebdo. Dans“The Barbariat and Democratic Tolerance”, Knut Rio établit un parallèle entre les événements parisiens et la violence terroriste de la guerre d’indépendance algérienne (1954–1962)—faisant référence au film de Gillo Pontecorvo, La bataille d’Alger (1966)—qu’il considère comme “a continuing reapparance of the systematic conflicts built into French colonialist relations” (15). Il nous rappelle les rassemblements spontanés de millions de Parisiens, descendus dans les rues de la capitale quelques jours après les drames pour dénoncer la haine et la barbarie. Cette “France debout” (13), défenseuse de la République, fut prise d’un singulier élan de solidarité qui se manifesta notamment par le slogan populaire “Je suis Charlie”, un “global web buzz” (13). D’ailleurs, Mari Hanssen Korsbrekke dans “Where Were You, Charlie?” compare le slogan “Je suis Charlie” à la réplique “I’m Spartacus” du film de Stanley Kubrick Spartacus (1960),reconnaissant un même désir de solidarité,toutefois exprimé différemment. De plus, elle examine comment“Je suis Charlie”a engendré de nouvelles formes d’activisme politique sur les réseaux sociaux. À travers l’exemple d’Ahmed, un élève de huit ans qui n’avait pas adhéré au slogan—“Je ne suis pas Charlie...