Foundations of the Everyday

[A]n excellent book that forcefully argues for, and comprehensively addresses, the contemporary importance of the everyday. Dorfman clearly and imaginatively weaves together a variety of authors and phenomena, whose interrelation would by no means be apparent at first glance. Foundations is a landmark in philosophical reflections on the everyday, as well as indispensable reading for those interested in modernity and trauma studies. * Modernism/Modernity, Vol. 22, Num. 1 *
[A]n intriguing analysis of the multifaceted ways in which the everyday serves as a foundation of our bodily and cultural existence … enjoyable and worthwhile. * Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews *
Drawing his inspiration from phenomenology and psychoanalysis, from cultural studies and works of art, the author reflects on the complex mechanisms of (traumatic) destabilization, suspension, deferral, repetition, and integration that shape our daily lives. His critical analysis of the modern life-world is remarkably free of all nostalgic undertones and binary ideological oppositions. A rich, highly original, and clearly written book that will change your way of thinking! -- Rudolf Bernet, President of the Husserl Archives and Professor Emeritus at the University of Leuven, Belgium
Expertly weaving together philosophy, psychoanalysis, literature and art, Dorfman has created a rich and beautiful tapestry of everyday life. This important, yet neglected, subject finally receives the treatment it deserves in this illuminating book. Here the ordinary is decidedly extraordinary. -- Simon Critchley, Hans Jonas Professor, The New School for Social Research
The phenomenology of the everyday inevitably transforms it into a structural forever. The psychoanalysis of the everyday inevitably transforms it into an expression of the always already. Fluidifying and displacing these traditional approaches, Dorfman powerfully situates the everyday as it is: the foundational experience of the transient. An amazingly beautiful achievement. -- Catherine Malabou, Professor of Modern European Philosophy, Kingston University, UK
"Dorfman carefully uncovers the critical dimension in phenomenology through Husserl’s, Heidegger’s and Merleau-Ponty’s implicit analyses of ‘negativity’." * Phenomenological Reviews *
Clear, subtle, and ultimately affecting […] an entertaining and persuasive read, and one that would be of interest to anyone who wishes to explore why contemporary western subjects have lost a particular kind of connection with the everyday, and who want suggestions on how to regain it. * Comparative and Continental Philosophy *
Dorfman’s book has a range, a depth of inspiration and a multilayered quality that forcefully demands our attention. It is a subtle investigation of our current predicament, one which solidly resists the doubleedged sword of romanticism and cynicism. [T]he unprecedentedly sympathetic ear he lends to the endless little sufferings of the late-modern condition makes his book an important contribution to our self-understanding, and to the urgent project of cultural therapy. * Continental Philosophy Review *