Des hégémonies brisées

Des hégémonies brisées, translated as Broken Hegemonies, represents the magnum opus of the German-born philosopher Reiner Schürmann. Developed over many years during his tenure at the New School for Social Research, the work attempts a monumental synthesis of Western ontological history. Schürmann explores the 'hegemonies'—the governing principles or epochs—that have dictated Western thought from the ancient Greeks through the modern era, arguing that these historical foundations have inevitably collapsed, leading to a contemporary state of 'anarchy' where no single governing principle remains.

The publication of this work by Indiana University Press in 1996 arrived posthumously, as Schürmann passed away in 1993 before the final manuscript was fully realized. The design and structure of the volume are intended to mirror the density and rigorous intellectual framework of his project, which challenges the traditional metaphysical structures of phenomenology and deconstruction. It was received by the philosophical community as a demanding but essential contribution to Continental philosophy, often cited for its profound influence on post-structuralist discourse and its critique of the history of Being.