1977

1977 saw the Red Army Faction start its »Offensive 77«, the opening of the Centre Pompidou in Paris, the launch of Apple II in California – and the invention of the internet. What do these strange simultaneities mean?

Why was Jimmy Carter talking about »human rights«, were civil rights activists talking about »identity politics«, esoterics about »New Age« and architects about »symbolic forms« simultaneously? Why punk, disco and hip-hop at the same time? And why did Michel Foucault say in 1977: »We must go back to the very beginning.«?

In his book, Philipp Sarasin examines the lines, patterns and similarities that connect these and other events of 1977 with one another – and he shows how the belief in a commonality, which had shaped modernity, began to crumble. 1977. A Brief History of the Present shows us a year in which only uncertainty was certain while the notion prevailed that the old coordinates of the industrial society would no longer be offering any guidance in the future. A phenomenal journey through time into the history of our present.

»Profound pop-cultural, philosophical, political explorations of 1977 as a catalyst of the post-modern present: highly stimulating.« Mark Siemons, Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung

»With an obsessive attention to detail and a detective-like, sometimes suggestive sense for patterns, parallels and cross-connections, Sarasin assembles an impressive wealth of people, facts and thoughts into a fatefully sparkling mosaic of that year.« Marianna Lieder, DIE WELT

»But a special charm lies precisely in the fragmentary character. There are numerous points of departure in this book that allow us to reflect on the history of our present.« Lea Haller, NZZ am Sonntag

»Swiss historian Philipp Sarasin has dedicated an elegantly narrated, analytically sophisticated book rich in material to this ›interstice of time‹ in which the great ›hopes‹ of classical modernism were bidden farewell.« Steffen Martus, DIE ZEIT

»Captivatingly told and intellectually impressive at the same time.« Florian Meinel, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung

»Sarasin presents one of the most exceptional history books of recent years. It is both ordinary and intellectual at the same time, disappears into ludicrous side issues and develops great theories.« Hans Monath, Der Tagesspiegel

»Another book about a year, some might think. But every exploration is interesting as long as it provides new insights and is able to convey them well. Zurich-based Professor of History Philipp Sarasin achieves both.« Frank Bösch, Neue Zürcher Zeitung

»Sarasin‘s book is a detailed collection of debates and minor events that form a connection to the conflicts of today, from increasing social inequality to hate speech on social media.« Niels Boeing, DIE ZEIT - Wissen

»As part of his impressive analysis of fields as diverse as law and revolution, sexuality, media and economics, Sarasin repeatedly returns to a master thinker on self-care, Michel Foucault.« Christian Thomas, Frankfurter Rundschau

»Intellectually demanding, but by no means dry [...] Sarasin’s method is catchy: Its result is not a coherent, closed narrative of history, but a stimulating exploration of the structural ruptures that produce our present.« Marlen Hobrack, Berliner Zeitung

»The analysis of the discursive structures presented in 1977 is ... intellectually impressive.« Thomas Salter, Junge Welt

»Where modern societies are oriented towards the general, postmodernism emphasises the particular and the individual, writes Sarasin, tying in with the ideas of sociologist Andreas Reckwitz. [...] This momentous change is at the centre of Philipp Sarasin's work that well worth reading.« Holger Heimann, SRF

»[…] a thoughtful historiographical book on the 1970s.« Jörg Später, Deutschlandfunk

»Strolling through the thicket of the history of disciplines, one can but marvel at the richness of the associations.« Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung on Darwin and Foucault