New Books Network Madeleine Chalmers, "French Technological Thought and the Nonhuman Turn" (Edinburgh UP, 2024)
Oct 13, 2025
Madeleine Chalmers, a lecturer in French studies at the University of Leicester, delves into the fascinating interplay of technology, literature, and nonhuman thought. She traces the lineage from French avant-gardes to contemporary thought, highlighting how Catholic theology shapes modern secular ideas. Topics include the idea of technologos, sacramental thinking in secular texts, and the relationship between apocalyptic imagery and innovation. Chalmers also previews her upcoming project on marginalized knowledge and alternative intellectual roots.
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Theological Roots Of Nonhuman Thought
- Madeleine Chalmers traces the non-human turn in French thought back to a Catholic mystical revival rather than only materialist sources.
- She argues theology, avant-garde literature, and philosophy intermesh to shape vitalist technological thinking.
From Undergraduate Thesis To Genealogy
- Chalmers began researching technology in literature as an undergraduate using Villiers de l'Isle-Adam and Alphonse Daudet.
- That early interest expanded into a PhD tracing an unbroken conversation from fin-de-siècle fiction to contemporary nonhuman theory.
Literary Sources Behind Philosophical Lineage
- Chalmers reconstructs a specific genealogical strand by following citations from Bennett to Bergson, Deleuze, and Simondon back to fin-de-siècle writers.
- Forgotten authors like Villiers, Jarry, and Marcel Schwob repeatedly surface as formative influences on later theory.
