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ABSTRACT
This small aphoristic intervention aims to slightly shift fundamental concepts, canons, methods, and attitudes in the reemerging field of philology from the perspective of marginalized minority experience. Prompted by Tocqueville's formulations regarding the ‘tyranny of the majority,' these aphorisms equate the tactics of minor philology with those of guerilla warfare. The emphasis on mobility, commitment, and integration with larger currents has the potential, if not to render majoritarian tyranny ineffective, at least to mitigate it. The recapture of philological power by the minor allows the partial restoration of colonized traditions, reconfiguring distinct canons and connections across expansive world-textual fields.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
Correction Statement
This article has been corrected with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.
Notes
1 “The majority, therefore, lives in perpetual adoration of itself; only foreigners or experience can make certain truths reach the ears of the Americans” (Tocqueville Citation2000, 245).
2 “It is of the very essence of democratic governments that the empire of the majority is absolute; for in democracies, outside the majority there is nothing that resists it.” (Tocqueville Citation2000, 235).
3 “There is therefore no authority on earth so respectable in itself or vested with a right so sacred that I should wish to allow to act without control and to dominate without obstacles” (Tocqueville Citation2000, 241).
4 “As long as there is still one beggar around, there will still be myth . . .” (Benjamin Citation2002, 400).