Michael Hardt, Professor of Literature

Michael Hardt teaches political theory in the Literature Program at Duke University.  His works combine philosophical investigations with analyses of our current political situation.  Studying the current forms of social domination, including the mechanisms of capitalist control, which form the bases of the contemporary global power structures, is a central focus.  Key, too, is engagement with contemporary social movements that refuse domination and present the potential for new, democratic modes of social organization. 

His first book was Gilles Deleuze: An Apprenticeship in Philosophy (1993).  Over the course of several decades, his collaborations with Antonio Negri resulted in six books: Labor of Dionysus (1994), Empire (2000), Multitude (2004), Commonwealth (2009), Declaration (2012), and Assembly (2017).  His latest book, The Subversive Seventies (2023), analyzes liberation movements of the 1970s in a wide range of countries throughout the world, highlighting their relevance for political struggles today.  Since 2010 he has served as editor of the South Atlantic Quarterly.

Contact Info:

Office Location:	106 Friedl Building, Buchanan and Trinity, Durham, NC 27708-0670
Email Address:

Teaching (Fall 2025):

• LIT 109CN.01, IMPERIALISM Synopsis

  Friedl Bdg 107, WF 01:25 PM-02:40 PM

  (also cross-listed as ICS 109CN.01)

• LIT 690S.05, SPECIAL TOPICS IN LITERATURE Synopsis

  Friedl Bdg 102, F 10:05 AM-12:35 PM

  (also cross-listed as ROMST 690S.05)

Education:

Ph.D.	University of Washington	1990
M.A.	University of Washington	1986
B.S.	Swarthmore College	1983

Specialties:

Italian
European Studies
Globalization, Postmodernity, Contemporaneity
Modern and Contemporary
Marxism
Critical Theory, Philosophy
Theories of Value and the Economics of Literature

Research Interests:

Michael Hardt's recent writings deal primarily with the political, legal, economic, and social aspects of globalization. In his books with Antonio Negri he has analyzed the functioning of the current global power structure (Empire, 2000) and the possible democratic alternatives to that structure (Multitude, 2004). Many of his seminars focus on the work of important figures in the history of critical theory and political theory, such as Marx, Jefferson, Gramsci, Foucault, Deleuze, and Guattari. He also works on modern Italian literature and culture.

Representative Publications   (More Publications)

1. with Hardt, M; Negri, A, Declaration (2012), Argo Navis (self-published)
2. with Hardt, M; Negri, A, Commonwealth (2009), Harvard University Press, ISBN 978-0674060289
3. with Hardt, M; Negri, A, Multitude (2004), Penguin Press
4. with Hardt, M; Negri, A, Empire (2000), Harvard University Press