Antonio Negri

Born in Padua on August 1, 1933, Antonio "Toni" Negri became a major figure in Italian political thought. He taught political philosophy at the University of Padua and was widely known for his work on Marxism, the state, labor, and the philosophy of Spinoza.

Negri was also deeply involved in the turbulent politics of Italy in the 1960s and 1970s, including movements linked to workerism and autonomism. His life became controversial as well as intellectual: he was arrested in 1979 in a high-profile case tied to political violence, later spent years in exile in France, and eventually returned to Italy.

For many readers around the world, his name is most closely associated with his collaboration with Michael Hardt. Their 2000 book Empire helped bring his ideas to a much broader audience and was followed by Multitude and Commonwealth. Negri died in Paris on December 16, 2023, leaving behind a body of work that continues to shape debates about power, globalization, and political resistance.