A Critical Analysis of What is Assemblage by Thomas Nail

A Critical Analysis of What is Assemblage by Thomas Nail:
Exploring Its Connections with Previous Research and Influence on Subsequent Studies
Introduction
The main article for this essay is What is an Assemblage? Authored by Thomas Nail and published in the SubStance journal. The author explores the concept of assemblage which was introduced by Gilles Deleuze and Felix Guattari. He starts by explaining how the concept is drawn from French word agencement as opposed to English’ definition of the word. The author, Nail, draws from different authors makes a case that assemblage amounts to a full theory and should be treated as such. He draws from other philosophers i.e Henri Bergson and Gilbert Simondon to come up with a new definition of assemblage. He argues that the assemblage as coined by Deleuze and Guattari qualifies to be treated as a theory and tried to make the case for it. Nail defines assemblage as a collection of self-organizing systems that are characterized by their constant becoming rather than fixed being. He argues that assemblage refers to ways in which heterogenous elements come together to form a functioning whole. Nail argues that assemblages are not simply collections of individual elements, but rather dynamic systems that emerge from the interactions between these elements. Nail also differentiates the different types of assemblages. He defines stratified assemblages as those structures that have a dominant element i.e. state of corporation. He defines smooth assemblages as the structures that are more fluid. He argues that by treating assemblage as a theory, it can provide new insights into political structures and introduce a new way of looking at power and resistance. He argues that resistance or problems can stem from anywhere. Concisely, Nail’s article provides important and deeply insightful exploration to the concept of assemblage and he draws heavily from philosophy and theoretical perspectives to develop the new definition and application of assemblage.
Connections with Previous Research
One of the sources Nail used and drew heavily is a book by Manuel DeLanda titled A New Philosophy of Society: Assemblage Theory and Social Complexity. DeLanda in this book stresses a few things that Nail uses. First, he argues that assemblages should be thought to be in a constant flux and they are dynamic in that they change over time as new elements are added or removed. He alluded this definition that social phenomena can be thought as assemblages of individual elements such as people or institutions. Thus, DeLanda seems to tie the idea of assemblage to dynamism and uses it to explain its relevance to social phenomena. Secondly, DeLanda introduced the idea of emergence. He agues that emergence is the idea that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. He alludes that thinking of assemblages as sum of individual elements is wrong, but rather then come together to form a bigger new property through their individual behaviour and interactions. The same way a collection of spare parts to a car is not a car, but the assembly of the entire vehicle in the right manner leads to a new product, a car. Therefore, he suggests that social phenomena should not be considered as set of individual behavio...