Deleuze and Guattari’s concept of nomadology is introduced in their book A Thousand Plateaus (1980) as part of their broader project of creating a philosophy of multiplicities, movement, and resistance to rigid structures. Nomadology contrasts with “state thought” or “sedentary thought,” which represents hierarchical, centralized, and stable systems of control. Here’s an overview of what they meant by nomadology:
1. Nomadology vs. State Thought
• State Thought: Refers to structured, hierarchical, and sedentary systems of thought and governance. The state embodies control, codification, and fixed identities, seeking to organize people and spaces into predictable, regulated frameworks.
• Nomadology: Represents fluid, decentralized, and dynamic ways of thinking and being. Nomadic thought resists fixity, moving across and through established boundaries, challenging hierarchical structures and control mechanisms.
2. Nomadic Subjectivity
• A nomadic subject does not settle into fixed categories or identities. Instead, they traverse and navigate multiplicities, engaging in perpetual movement—physical, intellectual, or existential.
• Nomads are not simply wanderers but are defined by their mode of relation to space and power. They inhabit smooth spaces (open, undefined, and deterritorialized) as opposed to striated spaces (defined, organized, and controlled by the state).
3. Smooth and Striated Space
• Smooth Space: A fluid, open environment without clear boundaries or central organization, where movement and connections are primary. Examples might include deserts, steppes, or digital networks.
• Striated Space: Ordered and structured by institutions like states, cities, or bureaucracies, where control and regulation dominate.
• Nomads live and think within smooth spaces, resisting the state’s attempts to striate and control these spaces.
4. War Machine
• The war machine is a central concept in nomadology. It refers to the nomads’ capacity for resistance and deterritorialization, existing outside or against the state’s structures of power. The war machine is not inherently violent; rather, it is a form of organization that operates in opposition to the state apparatus.
• States often try to appropriate the war machine to serve their ends (e.g., militarization), but in its pure form, it remains an autonomous force of creativity, freedom, and subversion.
5. Nomadology as a Philosophy of Resistance
• Nomadology provides a framework for resisting rigid systems of power, control, and identity. It is a strategy for embracing multiplicity, diversity, and fluidity in thought, life, and politics.
• It aligns with a broader Deleuzian emphasis on becoming rather than being, emphasizing movement, change, and experimentation over stasis.
6. Applications of Nomadology
• Political Resistance: Nomadology offers tools for decentralized, grassroots movements that challenge state-centric models of governance and activism.
• Epistemology: It promotes a way of thinking that is open-ended, interdisciplinary, and anti-dogmatic, moving across fields and concepts.
• Art and Creativity: Artists and creators embody nomadology by breaking free from traditional forms, genres, and constraints, navigating smooth spaces of imagination.
In sum, nomadology in Deleuze and Guattari’s thought is a metaphor and model for a life of freedom, resistance, and movement, countering the rigidity and control of state-centric systems. It celebrates multiplicity, impermanence, and the transformative potential of navigating smooth spaces.
