Jean-François Lyotard is a French philosopher predominantly associated in the English-speaking world with the term ‘postmodern’ and his short text La Condition postmoderne (1979) [translated as The Postmodern Condition 1984]. The focus on this somewhat unrepresentative text, however, obscures the breadth of his thought and contributions to both cultural studies and continental philosophy. Lyotard’s engagement with politics and cultural activities resulted in a diverse range of shorter writings, many of which he edited into collections, and his contribution to the landmark exhibition Les Immatériaux at the Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris, in 1985. Lyotard’s most significant single works include Discours, Figure (1971) [translated as Discourse, Figure 2011], Économie Libidinale (1974)[translated as Libidinal Economy 1993] and Le Différend (1983) [translated as The Differend 1988], the latter – identified by Lyotard as his “book of philosophy” – continuing...
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Citation: Bamford, Kiff. "Jean-François Lyotard". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 06 December 2012 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=2831, accessed 14 December 2025.]
