What is an Event? describes the complex lived experiences of events-in-the making. It analyzes how events erupt and take off from the ground of ongoing, everyday life and how they then restlessly move across time and space. Events are central to the way that individuals and societies experience life, as ‘breaking news’ constantly interrupts everyday routines. The book charts fundamental experiences of the events of life that are both inevitable and also, paradoxically, always a surprise: birth, death, love, war. What is an Event? systematically analyzes how events emerge, take shape, gain mome ... More

What is an Event? describes the complex lived experiences of events-in-the making. It analyzes how events erupt and take off from the ground of ongoing, everyday life and how they then restlessly move across time and space. Events are central to the way that individuals and societies experience life, as ‘breaking news’ constantly interrupts everyday routines. The book charts fundamental experiences of the events of life that are both inevitable and also, paradoxically, always a surprise: birth, death, love, war. What is an Event? systematically analyzes how events emerge, take shape, gain momentum, flow, and even get bogged down. As an exploration of how events are constructed out of ruptures, it provides a mechanism, termed political semiosis, for understanding eventful forms and flows. This mechanism distinguishes three critical aspects of event-making: representation, demonstration, and the performative. The analyses move from the micro-level of individual life events to the macro-level of historical revolutions, contemporary terrorist attacks and financial crises. What is an Event? develops its analysis through a close reading of a number of cases, both real and imagined, through the reports, personal narratives, paintings, iconic images, political posters, sculptures, and novels they generate and through which they live. The book aims to highlight what is ultimately at stake for individuals and societies in events: identities, loyalties, social relationships, and the very experiences of time and space. The book provides a multi-disciplinary mechanism for identifying and assessing what is at stake in the formations and flows of events.