On Transversality, Counterpower, and the Problem of Unity

In this article I seek to contribute to ongoing conversations on revolutionary organization and counterpower. First, through a direct reading of Lenin I set forth a concept of counterpower with three constituent elements: power from below; what I call “transitional institutions;” and what I describe as “effective integration,” or the consolidation of revolutionary institutions. I then show how Félix Guattari’s concepts of institutional analysis and “transversality” advance a reconception of transitional institutions that reconfigures counterpower by multiplying and intensifying revolutionary desire. Finally, I argue Verónica Gago’s account of transversal, feminist counterpower illustrates the contemporary significance of revolutionary transitional institutions while also raising concerns about effective integration. I conclude suggesting that contemporary counterrevolutionary violence indicates a need to revisit the problem of unity.