The Abstract Machine and the Nondiscursive Field

Abstract

In this seminar delivered on March 12, 1985, Félix Guattari develops the concept of the abstract machine. Contrasting it with representational and structural models, he investigates the processes of existentialization, speculative cartography, and semiotic assemblages which, in his view, function outside the logic of the symbolic order. Special attention is given to the notion of existential territory and to the conditions of its emergence across psychic, social, and political domains.

Translated from the edition: Machine abstraite et champ non discursif // Chimères. Les séminaires de Félix Guattari [Web resource]. — 1985. — Mars 12. — Available at: https://www.revue-chimeres.fr/12-03-1985-Felix-Guattari-Machine-abstraite-et-champ-non-discursif. (Accessed: 25.06.2025). © Bruno et  Emmanuelle Guattari fonds IMEC 2025. Published with the kind permission of the rights holders.