On Jacques Rancière with Stuart Blaney

In this episode I talk with Dr Stuart Blaney about the French Philosopher Jacques Rancière, a thinker who has reshaped how we understand politics, equality, education, and art. We begin with his brief time in Algeria and his education in Paris, considering how these experiences shaped his outlook. From there, we trace his involvement in Louis Althusser’s circle, his eventual break with Althusser, and the broader impact of the May ’68 protests on his intellectual trajectory. Our conversation turns to Rancière’s redefinition of politics, not as governance but as an interruption of the sensible order, and his famous idea of the “distribution of the sensible.” We explore what he means by “unverifiable equality” and the “part of no part,” and how these concepts push against traditional leftist or Marxist frameworks. Alongside this, we examine his critique of expertise in governance and his challenge to technocratic or managerial approaches through a radical insistence on equality. Education and pedagogy also play a central role in Rancière’s work, and we take time to discuss The Ignorant Schoolmaster where Stuart claims Rancière offers a vision of intellectual emancipation that unsettles hierarchy in education and questions how knowledge is transmitted. We reflect on what this means for learning today and for the possibilities of education beyond traditional authority.

Stuart Blaney is an independent academic whose central interest lies in emancipation as a way of life, approached through aesthetic practices. His recent work draws on the philosophies of Michel Foucault and Jacques Rancière. He earned his doctorate in philosophy from Staffordshire University in 2022. His first academic paper was published in 2023, and his debut book, Equality and Freedom in Rancière and Foucault, was released by Bloomsbury in December 2024. With thanks to Tristen Nunes for editing and post-production.