There Was No Revolution: Reflections on Property, Power and the Servile Condition

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Catherine Malabou (University of Paris-X Nanterre) Carolyn Shread

There Was No Revolution

Name: There Was No Revolution
Price: 32.95 AUD
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ISBN: 9781509567577

Reflections on Property, Power and the Servile Condition

Catherine Malabou (University of Paris-X Nanterre), Carolyn Shread

$32.95

Paperback

Forthcoming
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English

Polity Press
19 March 2026

Modern history to 20th century: c 1700 to c 1900; French Revolution; Social & political philosophy

In her new book, Catherine Malabou argues that the French Revolution existed in name only, not in reality – privileges disappeared only on the surface and the old forms of domination persisted in structuring everyday life. And, sure enough, French citizens soon came to ask: ""How is it that we are falling back into the same patterns of privilege and servitude?""

In developing this argument, Malabou echoes the conclusion drawn by Pierre-Joseph Proudhon, whose work, What is Property?, written in 1840, claimed that there was no revolution. Proudhon witnessed how, in the aftermath of the French Revolution, feudal relations persisted and monarchy was restored. He connected the persistence of feudalism and servitude to his critique of property. For Proudhon, property is but another name for domination: ""Property is theft,"" he famously declared; by which he meant that private property starts with a theft of memory and meaning that transforms continuous bondage into a promise of emancipation. This marks the specificity of the anarchist critique of property, and it led Proudhon to conclude ""I am an anarchist.""

Malabou connects her re-reading of Proudhon's masterpiece with our own political situation today, more than two hundred years after the French Revolution. She examines how the enduring domination that is central to private property infiltrates various aspects of the modern world, from the legacies of colonialism and slavery to work and politics. This timely re-assessment of the relation between property and domination will be of interest to students of philosophy and politics, and to anyone concerned with today's key political questions.

By: Catherine Malabou (University of Paris-X Nanterre)
Translated by: Carolyn Shread
Imprint: Polity Press
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
ISBN: 9781509567577
ISBN 10: 1509567577
Pages: 224
Publication Date: 19 March 2026
Audience: College/higher education , Professional and scholarly , Primary , Undergraduate
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

Catherine Malabou is Professor of Philosophy in the departments of Comparative Literature and European Languages and Studies at the University of California at Irvine.

Reviews for There Was No Revolution: Reflections on Property, Power and the Servile Condition

""In this brilliant and original study, Catherine Malabou extends her ongoing research into Pierre-Joseph Proudhon's critique of private property."" Justin Clemens, University of Melbourne