Fabulation as a Political Practice
Deleuze and Guattari Studies August 1, 2026 DOI: 10.3366/dlgs.2026.0651 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Key points | Argues that fabulation, as an act of insomniac dreaming, functions as a political practice that resists the homogenisation of ideas, expands perception beyond representation, and forges new compossible worlds, illustrated through Deleuze's concept and Kopenawa's shamanic visions. |
Abstract
This article examines fabulation as a political practice, exploring its role in dismantling clichés and generating new possibilities for life. It draws a cosmic politics from Deleuze and Guattari's theory of literature and their metaphysics of dreams, more specifically, from the distinction between fiction and fabulation, and the role of the insomniac dream as the vision and audition of a people to come. The article juxtaposes Deleuze's concept of fabulation with Davi Kopenawa's shamanic visions, illustrating how dreams function as devices for an intensive belonging to nature and, consequently, for resistance. Ultimately, the article argues that fabulation is a vital force: it points towards a people to come, resists the homogenisation of ideas and expands perception beyond representation. In this way, literary fabulation – as an act of insomniac dreaming – is a forging machine of new compossible worlds.