1. Arab Tribes and Ibn Khaldun's Analysis:
- Ibn Khaldun describes the nomadic war machine as being rooted in families or lineages combined with "esprit de corps" (a spirit of solidarity). In this context, families are not static units but dynamic vectors that transfer power and solidarity based on their ability to mobilize and adapt.
- Unlike state structures, where family prominence is tied to public roles, in the war machine, prominence is determined by the secret power of solidarity and genealogical mobility.
2. Medieval Journeymen and Gothic Architecture:
- The document highlights the role of itinerant laborers, such as masons, carpenters, and smiths, who traveled extensively to build cathedrals during the Gothic period. These journeymen formed nomadic or itinerant bodies that operated outside the rigid control of state structures.
- Their mobility and collective power posed challenges to the state, which sought to regulate labor by settling workers, creating corporations, and dividing labor into intellectual and manual categories.
3. Modern Lobbies and Collective Bodies:
- The concept of the "lobby" is presented as a modern example of a group with fluid contours that operates ambiguously in relation to the state. While lobbies aim to influence state policies, they also embody the dynamics of a war machine by promoting alternative models and ambitions that challenge state norms.
4. Nomadic Science vs. Royal Science:
- Nomadic science, as opposed to royal science, is another example of a war machine. It operates in smooth spaces, focusing on dynamic processes, singularities, and material interactions rather than fixed forms and hierarchical organization.
- This distinction is evident in practices like metallurgy, where nomadic approaches emphasize following material flows and engaging with singularities, contrasting with the state's focus on standardization and control.
5. Philosophical Counterthoughts:
- Thinkers like Nietzsche and Artaud are described as embodying the nomadic war machine in the realm of thought. Their work resists the state's image of thought, operating in smooth spaces and engaging with external forces rather than conforming to established norms.
- Nietzsche's aphorisms, for example, are likened to arrows that await external forces to define their meaning, contrasting with the state's structured and interiorized methods of thought.
6. Race and Tribe as Nomadic Constructs:
- The document redefines race and tribe as constructs of oppression and resistance. Tribes are seen as dynamic, minoritarian entities that traverse smooth spaces, challenging state control.
- This perspective warns against the dangers of turning race or cultural identity into tools of exclusion or domination, emphasizing the impurity and mixed nature of true nomadic identities.
7. Art and Labor as Nomadic Practices:
- Nomadic art and labor are characterized by their dynamic interplay between form and matter, rejecting the rigid dichotomies imposed by state structures.
- For example, nomadic art replaces the matter-form dialectic with a dynamic connection between support and ornament, reflecting the fluidity and adaptability of the war machine.
Summary:
These examples illustrate how the nomadic war machine manifests in various contexts, from historical tribes and itinerant laborers to modern lobbies, scientific practices, and philosophical thought. The war machine operates as a dynamic, fluid force that challenges the rigidity and control of state structures, emphasizing mobility, solidarity, and resistance.
