The Freedom of the Migrant

Vilém Flusser was one of the most fascinating and original European thinkers of the latter half of the twentieth century. In this volume, a collection of his essays on emigration, nationalism, and information theory, he raises questions about the viability of ideas of national identity in a world whose borders are becoming increasingly arbitrary and permeable. Flusser argues that modern societies are in flux, with traditional linear and literary epistemologies being challenged by global circulatory networks and a growth in visual stimulation. He posits that these changes will radically alter the ways cultures define themselves and deal with each other. Not just theories of globalization, however, Flusser's ideas about communication and identity have their roots in the Judeo-Christian concept of self-determination and self-realization through the recognition of the other.Vilém Flusser (1920-91) was a German-Jewish philosopher from Prague who fled to Brazil in 1940. In 1963 he was appointed professor of philosophy of communication at São Paulo University; while there he also wrote a daily newspaper column. In 1972, he moved to France, and wrote books in both German and Portuguese, including The Shape of Things: A Philosophy of Design, Toward a Philosophy of Photography, and From Subject to Project: Becoming Human.