Régis Debray

Jules Régis Debray born 2 September 1940 is a French philosopher journalist former government official and academic He is known for his theorization of mediology a critical theory of the longterm transmission of cultural meaning in human society and for associating with Marxist revolutionary Che Guevara in Bolivia in 1967 and advancing Salvador Allendes presidency in Chile in the early 1970s He returned to France in 1973 and later held various official posts in the French government Born in Paris Régis Debray studied at the École Normale Supérieure as taught by Louis Althusser He appeared as himself in the cinema verité movie Chronique dun été by Jean Rouch and Edgar Morin in 1960 He became an agrégé de philosophie in 1965 During the late 1960s he was a professor of philosophy at the University of Havana in Cuba and became an associate of Che Guevara in Bolivia He wrote the book Revolution in the Revolution which analysed the tactical and strategic doctrines then prevailing among militant socialist movements in Latin America and acted as a handbook for guerrilla warfare that supplemented Guevaras own manual concerning the topic It was published in Cuba in the Cuadernos collection by Casa de las Americas in 1967 by Maspero in Paris in New York Monthly Review Press and Grove Press Montevideo Sandino Milan Feltrinelli and Munich Trikont Guevara was captured in Bolivia in October 1967 on 20 April 1967 Debray had been arrested in the small town of Muyupampa also in Bolivia Convicted of having been part of Guevaras guerrilla group Debray was sentenced on 17 November to 30 years in prison He was released in 1970 after an international campaign for his release which included appeals by JeanPaul Sartre André Malraux General Charles de Gaulle and Pope Paul VI He sought refuge in Chile where he wrote The Chilean Revolution 1972 after interviews with Salvador Allende Debray returned to France in 1973 following the coup by Augusto Pinochet in Chile After the election in France of President François Mitterrand in 1981 he became an official adviser to the Président on Foreign Affairs In this capacity he developed a policy that sought to increase Frances freedom of action in the world decrease dependence on the United States and promote closeness with the former colonies He was also involved in the development of the governments official ceremonies and recognition of the bicentennial of the French Revolution He resigned in 1988 Until the mid1990s he held a number of official positions in France including an honorary counselorship at Frances supreme administrative court Conseil dÉtat In 1996 he published a memoir of his life translated into English as Régis Debray Praised Be Our Lords Verso 2007 Source Article Régis Debray from Wikipedia in English licensed under CCBYSA 30