Professor Franco Berardi

Franco “Bifo” Berardi is a renowned Italian Marxist philosopher, theorist, and activist whose work has profoundly shaped contemporary understandings of media, technology, and post-industrial capitalism. A key figure in the autonomist tradition, Berardi has authored over two dozen books and numerous essays exploring the intersections of communication, desire, and political economy.

Berardi’s political and creative engagement began early—he joined the Italian Communist Youth Federation at age 13 and was later expelled for “factionalism.” A participant in the 1968 uprisings at the University of Bologna, where he earned his degree in Aesthetics, Berardi became active in the extra-parliamentary group Potere Operaio and founded the influential magazine A/traverso. He was also a co-founder of Radio Alice (1976–1978), Italy’s first free pirate radio station.

In the 1970s and 80s, Berardi lived in Paris, where he collaborated with Félix Guattari in the field of schizoanalysis. His wide-ranging writings draw on psychoanalysis, communication theory, and critical media studies to develop a distinctive critique of capitalism that centers not only on labor and economic structures but also on subjectivity, emotion, and the semiotic saturation of everyday life. His key concepts include “semiocapitalism,” “cognitariat,” and “info labour,” through which he analyzes the affective and symbolic dynamics of contemporary society.

Berardi has collaborated with numerous publications and artists across Europe and the U.S., including e-flux, Warren Neidich, Semiotext(e), and DeriveApprodi. He currently teaches the social history of communication at the Accademia di Belle Arti in Milan and continues to be a vital voice in global discussions on the future of education, politics, and human agency.