Social and political philosophy Books

Book SynopsisThe first comprehensive biography of Erich Fromm, capturing the personal, social, clinical, philosophic, and political aspects of an influential figure.Trade ReviewIn mid-century America, a peak era for public intellectuals, Erich Fromm's psychological and sociological writings were required reading among the intelligentsia. What's more, his ideas were widely discussed by others, ranging from the millions who devoured The Art of Loving to U.S. Senators and even President John Kennedy. In this compelling biography, historian Lawrence Friedman, author of the definitive biography of psychoanalyst Erik Erikson, details the cornucopia of ideas that issued from Fromm's fertile mind as well as the fascinating and little known details of his lengthy, controversial and exceedingly full life. -- Howard Gardner, Hobbs Professor of Cognition and Education, Harvard Graduate School of Education Through this thorough portrait, Love's Prophet emerges as an exemplar of enjoying an examined life to its fullest potential. Publishers Weekly The brilliantly comprehensive study of psychoanalyst Erich Fromm's (1900-1980) many 'lives' as a clinician, philosopher, social critic and political activist... Academic biography at its best. Kirkus Reviews (starred review) Accessible to general readers - a sympathetic, stimulating biography of one of the most influential psychologists of the 20th century. Library Journal (starred review) A thoroughly absorbing history of the cultural and political context within which Fromm's life was lived. -- Vivian Gornick Boston Review Friedman is a consummate intellectual biographer. -- Michael M. Canaris America Meticulous, detailed... A model of intellectual biography. -- Alan Ryan New York Review of Books A valuable contribution to Fromm scholarship and to American political and social history. -- Daniel Burston PsycCritiques A deep, insightful, and very human portrait of one of the great public intellectuals of the 20th century. Choice Friedman's biography tracks Fromm through the various phases of his life in detail, providing a thickness of description that hasn't been available before. -- Paul Reitter Times Literary Supplement The most thoroughly, well-researched, and balanced biography so far of Erich Fromm... A clear and richly detailed overview of Fromm's life and work. American Historical Review An intellectual biography of the first order. Journal of American History An outstanding intellectual and biographical study... Lawrence Friedman effectively helps us understand the lives and transformations of Erich Fromm as analyzed in this lucid book. SocietyTable of ContentsForeword, by Gerald N. Grob Acknowledgments Prologue: Writing Lives Part 1: Germany 1. The Unsteady Apprentice 2. Frankfurt Scholar Part 2: The Americas 3. The Americanization of a European Intellectual 4. Escape from Freedom 5. Clinician and Ethicist 6. To Love and to Mentor 7. Politics and Prose Part 3: Global Citizenship 8. Prophecies for a Troubled World 9. A Third Way 10. "Life Is Extravagance": Almost 11. Hope and Stasis 12. Love and Death A Bibliographical Note Notes Index

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Book SynopsisIllustrated guide to the crucial Italian philosopher and author of The Prince. 'Machiavellian' is a popular byword for treachery and opportunism. Machiavelli's classic book on statecraft, The Prince, published over 400 years ago, remains controversial to this day because of its electrifying frankness as a practical guide to power. Is it a how-to manual for dictators, a cynical philosophy of 'the end justifies the means', or a more complex and subtle analysis of successful government? Machiavelli was a loyal servant of the Florentine republic. His opposition to Medici despotism led him to torture on the rack and exile, and yet he chose as his model for the Prince the most notorious tyrant, Cesare Borgia. Introducing Machiavelli traces the colourful life of this paradoxical realist whose clear-sighted patriotism made him the first truly modern political scientist. Machiavelli is seen as central to the postmodern debate on Civil Society. This book brings the creative turbulence of Renaissance Italy to life, and presents a compelling portrait of a key figure of European political history.

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Book SynopsisThe first volume of The Idea of Communism followed the 2009 London conference called in response to Alain Badiou's 'communist hypothesis', where an all-star cast of radical intellectuals put the idea of communism back on the map.This volume brings together papers from the subsequent 2011 New York conference organized by Verso and continues this critical discussion, highlighting the philosophical and political importance of the communist idea, in a world of financial and social turmoil.Contributors include Alain Badiou, Etienne Balibar, Bruno Bosteels, Susan Buck-Morss, Jodi Dean, Adrian Johnston, François Nicolas, Frank Ruda, Emmanuel Terray and Slavoj Zizek.Trade ReviewDo not be afraid, join us, come back! You've had your anti-communist fun, and you are pardoned for it-time to get serious once again! -- Slavoj Zizek

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Book SynopsisThe political systems of the Roman Republic were based almost entirely on tradition, "the way of the ancestors", rather than on a written constitution. While the founders of the American Republic looked to ancient Rome as a primary model for their enterprise, nevertheless, in line with the rationalist spirit of their age, the American founders attempted to create a rational set of rules that would guide the conduct of American politics, namely, the US Constitution. These two examples offer a striking case of the ideal types, famously delineated by Michael Oakeshott in Rationalism in Politics and elsewhere, between politics as a practice grounded in tradition and politics as a system based on principles flowing from abstract reasoning. This book explores how the histories of the two republics can help us to understand Oakeshott''s claims about rational versus traditional politics. Through examining such issues we may come to understand better not only Oakeshott's critique of rationalism, but also modern constitutional theory, issues in the design of the European Union, and aspects of the revival of republicanism.

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewThe translation is admirable and the translators should be congratulated for their successes. * The Heythrop Journal *Arel's and Feuerhahn's translation pays careful heed to Heidegger's linguistic peculiarities while making the text accessible to a non-German readership. * Hegel Bulletin *[T]his is an excellent translation of a difficult and sometimes frustrating work by Heidegger. * Phenomenonological Reviews *[T]he English-speaking world should be thankful to Arel and Feuerhahn for their work in making this volume available.3/16/16 * Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews *Table of ContentsTranslators' Introduction NEGATIVITY. A CONFRONTATION WITH HEGEL APPROACHED FROM NEGATIVITY (1938/39, 1941)I. Negativity. Nothing – abyss – beyng II. The realm of inquiry of negativity III. The differentiation of being and beings IV. Clearing – Abyss – Nothing V. Hegel Appendix Supplement to the title page Supplement to section 1 ELUCIDATION OF THE "INTRODUCTION" TO HEGEL'S "PHENOMENOLOGY OF SPIRIT"(1942)Preliminary consideration. On the various roles and positions of the Phenomenologyof Spirit within Hegel's metaphysics I. The grounding of the enactment of the presentation of appearing knowledge(paragraphs 1-4 of the "Introduction") II. The self-presentation of appearing knowledge as the course into the truth of its own essence (paragraphs 5-8 of the "Introduction") III. The criterion of the examination and the essence of the examination in the courseof appearing knowledge (paragraphs 9-13 of the "Introduction") IV. The essence of the experience of consciousness and its presentation(paragraphs 14-15 of the "Introduction") V. Absolute metaphysics (sketches for paragraph 16 of the "Introduction") Appendix. Supplements to I-IV (paragraph 1-15 of the "Introduction") Editor's Afterword German-English GlossaryEnglish-German Glossary

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Book SynopsisIn 2013, Benedict XVI became only the second pope in the history of the Catholic Church to resign from office. In this brief but illuminating study, Giorgio Agamben argues that Benedict's gesture, far from being solely a matter of internal ecclesiastical politics, is exemplary in an age when the question of legitimacy has been virtually left aside in favor of a narrow focus on legality. This reflection on the recent history of the Church opens out into an analysis of one of the earliest documents of Christianity: the Second Epistle to the Thessalonians, which stages a dramatic confrontation between the "man of lawlessness" and the enigmatic katechon, the power that holds back the end of days. In Agamben's hands, this infamously obscure passage reveals the theological dynamics of history that continue to inform Western culture to this day. Trade Review"[I]f you are hoping to be challenged with a sophisticated and articulate reflection on the relationship between the mystery of evil, its deeper eschatological context, and its consequences on both life in the public human polis and the intimate chambers of the human heart, this slender text will be a splendid addition to your bookshelves, without causing them to sag too considerably."—Michael M. Canaris, Reading Religion"The Mystery of Evil contains two short texts by Agamben, followed by a twenty-five page containing mainly patristic texts....[It] is a slight but not insubstantial book."—D.L. Dsenbury, Times Literary Supplement"[With] The Mystery of Evil: Benedict XVI and the End of DaysGiorgo Agamben continually marks himself as the leading [a]theistic political theologians writing today as well as one of—if not the most—fascinating Continental dialogue partners with Christianity within the Continental tradition....The text itself is short (39 pages), yet, its controversially brilliant theme cannot be ignored by serious thinkers (Christian and non-Christian alike."—Philip Gonzales, Louvain Studies

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Book SynopsisCoopted by military operations, humanitarianism has never been neutral. Rather than welcoming refugees, host countries assess the relative risks of taking them in versus turning them away, using a risk-benefit analysis that often reduces refugees to collateral damage in proxy wars fought in the war on terrorism. Carceral Humanitarianism testifies that humanitarian aid and human rights discourse are always political and partisan. Forerunners is a thought-in-process series of breakthrough digital works. Written between fresh ideas and finished books, Forerunners draws on scholarly work initiated in notable blogs, social media, conference plenaries, journal articles, and the synergy of academic exchange. This is gray literature publishing: where intense thinking, change, and speculation take place in scholarship.Trade Review"Kelly Oliver’s concise book brings a necessary and provocative philosophical appraisal of humanitarianism, focused on the treatment of refugees and the realities of migrant detention centers in the context of the ‘war on terror’. I highly recommend this concise text for critical geographers of borders and migration as well as for all kinds of activist endeavors advocating for freedom of movement and anti-war positions." —Antipode

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Book SynopsisAxel Honneth is known for his critique of modern society centered on a concept of recognition. Jacques Rancière has advanced a theory of modern politics based on disagreement. In a rare dialogue, these philosophers explore the affinities and tensions between their perspectives to provoke new ideas for social and political change.Trade ReviewWhen two hard stones are rubbed against each other, it produces sparks and light: this is what happens with this encounter 'in the real' between two major 'critical' philosophers of our time, both committed to democratizing democracy but addressing its current limits from opposite angles. A synthesis is not possible, though a commuting is immensely fruitful in order to elaborate one's own choices. The conversation is perfectly staged and commented upon by the editors. This book will be a point of reference. -- Etienne Balibar, author of Violence and Civility: On the Limits of Political Philosophy What form should critical theory take today? This is the question at stake in this encounter between two influential social and political philosophers. The editors expertly situate this dialogue within the terrain of contemporary critical theory, producing a text that will spark new conversations in the field. -- David Owen, author of Nietzsche's Genealogy of Morality After repeated failed efforts over the preceding decades to manufacture a debate or force an encounter between the putative representatives of German critical theory and French post-structuralism, this book may be the first to succeed at staging a genuine engagement between two preeminent figures in contemporary critical thought. This mise en scene ultimately produces its own mesentente-since each author says 'equality' and 'recognition' yet there is never the same understanding-but perhaps that is the book's greatest strength: to bring this dis-agreement into animacy, to attempt the distorting translation of these untranslatable terms, and in the process to allow the reader to experience the power of Honneth and Ranciere's thought. -- Samuel A. Chambers, author of Bearing Society in Mind: Theories and Politics of the Social Formation This timely and important book brings together for the first time two of the leading practitioners of what can be termed 'critical theory,' the borderland where critical approaches to social and political theory, philosophy, and other fields as dispersed as history, aesthetics, and psychology meet. In so doing, Recognition or Disagreement will help to revive critical theory as a politically engaged and philosophically rigorous intellectual endeavor that extends across disciplines, approaches, and traditions, and to renew the long but disjointed dialogue between German and French approaches to the field. It is a major contribution. -- James Ingram, author of Radical Cosmopolitics: The Ethics and Politics of Democratic Universalism In this fascinating and groundbreaking exchange, the eminent thinkers Axel Honneth and Jacques Ranciere discuss the differences between their respective paradigms of recognition and disagreement. Is social struggle driven by the desire for inclusion within established democratic forms or by a more radical impulse to challenge the legitimacy of the dominant order itself? Is the task of the theorist to reveal hidden forms of social suffering or to bear witness to the agency of the oppressed in the fight for equality? As well as clarifying their differences, the thinkers converge on the shared conviction that the experience of injustice must be of paramount concern for political theorizing rather than, as is more often the case nowadays, being regarded as a surprising deviation from the norm of justice. For anyone interested in the continuing encounter between French and German critical theory, this is an indispensable and thought-provoking read. -- Lois McNay, author of Bearing Society in Mind: Theories and Politics of the Social FormationTable of ContentsPart I. Setting the Stage 1. Jacques Ranciere and Axel Honneth: (Two?) Critical Approaches to the Political, by Katia Genel 2. Between Honneth and Ranciere: Problems and Potentials of a Contemporary Critical Theory of Society, by Jean-Philippe Deranty Part II. A Critical Encounter 3. Critical Questions: On the Theory of Recognition, by Jacques Ranciere 4. Remarks on the Philosophical Approach of Jacques Ranciere, by Axel Honneth 5. A Critical Discussion Part III. The Method of Critical Theory: Propositions 6. The Method of Equality: Politics and Poetics, by Jacques Ranciere 7. Of the Poverty of Our Liberty: The Greatness and Limits of Hegel's Doctrine of Ethical Life, by Axel Honneth Notes Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisNew edition of a classic work exploring the philosophical justifications for our penal system. 'A pleasure to read.' TLSTrade Review'Invaluable for anyone who wants to start thinking seriously about what justifies punishment, not only because it surveys a high proportion of the classical literature but because it connects theories in broad yet subtle ways' -- MetapsychologyTable of ContentsIntroduction 1 Problem 2 Backward-Looking Theories 3 Grievance-Satisfaction 4 Utilitarian Prevention Theory, Etc. 5. Reform, Rehabilitation, Treatment 6. Determinism 7 Compromise Theories of Punishment 8 Non-Problem, Other Conclusions Acknowledgements Notes Index

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Book Synopsis"Fanon was consummately incapable of telling the story of himself. He lived in the immediacy of the moment, with an intensity that embodied everything he evoked. Fanon's discourse pertained to a present tense that was unburdened by its narrative past...Trade ReviewThis is a book of interest and importance, and it comes at a moment when events have arguably made Fanon a contemporary thinker. Students of Fanon will surely want to read it, as will those comparing anti-colonial struggles around the globe. -- Benjamin Claude Brower * Journal of Colonialism and Colonial History *

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Book SynopsisThe Image of Law is the first book to examine law through the work of Gilles Deleuze, activating his thought within problems of jurisprudence and developing a concept of judgment that acknowledges its inherently creative capacity.Trade Review"I recommend to all those interested in the ongoing debates between so-called 'activist' and diehard 'conservatives' in matters of jurisprudence to read The Image of Law. . . The book must also be read by all those who seek to better understand Deleuze's interest in jurisprudence— especially by those who look for an alternative to de Sutter's "radical jurisprudence." -- Constantin V. Boundas * Symposium *"Lefebvre's plain writing style impressively clarifies philosophical concepts without simplifying them, and his reading of Deleuze's Bergsonism merits attention even if the reader has no interest in a Deleuzian theory of adjudication." -- Simon Scott * Theory & Event *"Lefebvre's work represents an important shift in contemporary critical legal theory insofar as it answers the need for theory to address internally the categories and schemata of practical reason and judicial rationality. . . it manages to contribute something quite new to the field: a theory of judgment based on Bergsonian memory and perception. At the same time, it avoids the pitfalls of positivism and, arguably, mechanism, while providing a glimpse of the ontological realm of virtuality subtending the actual operations of the legal system. More, its Deleuzian critique of Hart, Dworkin, and Habermas is bound to be useful for future studies. Most broadly, its transposition of rich ontological theory into legal theory opens new vistas for the latter, fostering the creation of new encounters, problems, and concepts in law." -- Kyle McGee * Law and Literature *"The Image of the Law is an outstanding book that outlines an innovative theory of creativity in judgment and adjudication. Against the grain of much secondary literature on Deleuze, Lefebvre convincingly demonstrates the value of a 'sober and more mundane' Deleuze for the analysis of existing social and political institutions." -- Paul Patton * University of New South Wales *"Lefebvre carries Henri Bergson and Gilles Deleuze to the questions of law and judgment. All three profit from the encounter. Showing us how juridical judgment secretes an incorrigible element of creativity, he also explores the judicial sensibility needed to negotiate the link between them. The result is a lucid and timely study." -- William E. Connolly * Johns Hopkins University *"Lefebvre offers a brilliant, rigorous, and innovative analysis of Bergson and Deleuze's philosophies of time." -- Paola Marrati * Johns Hopkins University *"This is a wonderfully interesting book for readers of the three philosophers named in its subtitle. ... The present work will provide readers of continental philosophy with ample opportunity for thought as we come to grips with the provocative encounter Lefebvre has staged for us." -- Continental Philosophy Review)Table of ContentsContents Preface xxx Abbreviations xxx Part 1 The Dogmatic Image of Law 1 The Judge as Schema: Hart 000 How Does Law Work? Hart's Critique of Austin 000 Subsumption in the Critique of Pure Reason 000 Schematism and Choice in Adjudication 000 2 Reflective Judgment and the Law with Organs: Dworkin 000 The Principle of Principle 000 Purposive Interpretation 000 Elegantia Juris: Integrity and the Lawfulness of the Contingent 000 Natural Purposes: The Law with Organs 000 3 Communication, Judgment, Retrospection: Habermas 000 Habermas: Communicative Kantian 000 A Deleuzian Reply 000 Reply: Application Discourses 000 Part 2 The Image of Law: Bergson and Time 000 4 Deleuze and the Critique of Law 000 Jurisprudence v. Law 000 Critique of Dogmatism in Law and Judgment 000 The Transcendental Encounter (Transcendental Empiricism) 000 Critique of Communication 000 Critique of Human Rights 000 5 The Time of Law I: Evolution in Holmes and Bergson 000 Bergson: Time as Invention (Internal Difference and Differentiation) 000 Holmes: Evolution and the Time of Law 000 All Is Given: The Possible in Dworkin and Habermas 000 6 The Time of Law II: Bergson, Perception, and Memory 000 Pure Perception: Image and the Case as Image 000 The Pure Past and the Four Paradoxes of Time 000 Two Weak Points of Legal Pragmatism 000 7 The Time of Law III: Judgment sub specie durationis 000 The Pure Past of the Law and the Law without Organs 000 Actualizing the Pure Past of Law 000 Inattentive Judgment 000 Attentive Judgment 000 Griswold and Attentive Judgment 000 Part 3 Spinoza and Practice 8 Three Spinozist Themes in a Deleuzian Jurisprudence Spinoza's Physics in Deleuze's Philosophy of the Concept 000 Delgamuukw I: Creation of a Legal Concept (Aboriginal Title) 000 Duration in Spinoza 000 Delgamuukw II: The Creation of Problems as the Power of Adjudication 000 Immanence and Expression 000 Summation: The Image of Law 000 Notes Cases Cited Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"One of CHOICE’s Outstanding Academic Titles for 2017""Longlisted for the 2017 Bronisław Geremek First Academic Book Prize, College of Europe""The task that Hugo Drochon sets himself is to reinsert some political content into Nietzsche and show that he had a systematic political theory. The result is a superb case of deep intellectual renewal and the most important book to have been written about him in the past few years."---Gavin Jacobson, New Statesman"There is no lack of contemporary publications that deal forthrightly with Nietzsche’s political thinking: these include Hugo Drochon’s Nietzsche’s Great Politics. "---Alex Ross, New Yorker"This book is not so much a reclamation of his [Nietzsche's] thinking on the subject as a reconstruction of the development of political thinking in the philosopher's works, so often missed by those who require thinking and expression less profound to make sense of such. Coherent, detailed and balanced."---Daniel Binney, Times Higher Education"The book achieves its stated goal with aplomb as it follows the development of political ideas in Nietzsche's works, and it deserves to become a standard reference text for advanced students and Nietzsche scholars."---Mina Mitreva, Past Imperfect"In this compelling and accessible study, Drochon--a historian of 19th- and 20th-century political thought--argues the affirmative case, contending that Nietzsche articulated a ‘great politics' centered on the unification of Continental Europe under the aegis of a cultivated, interbred class of superior individuals who would ultimately lead a geopolitical struggle against Great Britain and Russia for world supremacy. . . . One can find lots of books on Nietzsche, but this one stands out for its clarity and excellence." * Choice *"Hugo Drochon sets out to show that Nietzsche had a 'politics' after all. [He] in large part succeeds, and gives an illuminating account of Nietzsche's vision for a unified, cosmopolitan Europe. . . . This is a learned book that does a nice job of situating Nietzsche in his social and political context. . . . Drochon’s is a book from which one will learn a great deal, and . . . Will challenge us to reconsider our opinions about Nietzsche and his place in history."---Andrew Huddleston, Times Literary Supplement"Necessary reading for anyone working on Nietzsche as a political thinker. . . . Drochon provides a fine way into these questions surrounding Nietzsche's thought about great politics. He provides a scrupulous account of Nietzsche’s political thought and a stimulating argument for a way of taking Nietzsche seriously from a political point of view."---Barry Stocker, Los Angeles Review of Books"A thought-provoking contribution to the debate over Nietzsche's politics. . . . [It] contains plenty to interest the contemporary Nietzsche scholar, providing insight into Nietzsche's political statements and offering a tantalising glimpse into his preparations for a great role in the politics of his age."---Simon Townsend, Contemporary Political Theory"Drochon's book largely succeeds. . . . He demonstrates that Nietzsche had political considerations that stretched with some consistency across his career, which should be sufficient to call Nietzsche a political philosopher, and, indeed the sort of political philosopher ill-suited to Nazi appropriation."---Natasha Leonard, Dissent"There is much to recommend in Drochon's bold, erudite, and lucid study of Nietzsche's political thought. In particular, Drochon should be commended for meeting the rigorous demands of a contextualist methodology while also demonstrating Nietzsche's contemporary relevance. Drochon's philosophic interpretation is thus both historically grounded and timely. Nietzsche's Great Politics will surely open up new areas of research and revitalize ostensibly settled questions of interpretation."---Paul Wilford, The Review of Politics"Nietzsche’s Great Politics by Hugo Drochon is one of the most creative and original efforts to mould Nietzsche’s thought to the challenges of our age. Nietzsche always wanted to have creative and critical readers and this book certainly lives up to that ideal."---Damian Valdez, History of European Ideas"A realist interpretation of Nietzsche’s politics . . . well written and readable. . . . While Nietzsche’s political analyses of the late nineteenth century act as a well-timed reminder of both the fragility and worth of European integration, the general premises of his political philosophy provide us with highly useful conceptual tools for rethinking many of our political categories."---Gulsen Seven, Political Studies Review"Among the most illuminating studies that have been written on the topic of Nietzsche's political thought. . . .Those who confidently maintain that Nietzsche has no 'politics' will be forced, if not to abandon their view completely, then seriously to reconsider it." * Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews *"It is to the supreme credit of Hugo Drochon’s Nietzsche’s Great Politics to see that . . . his study succeeds in delivering a well-researched and thoughtful analysis of Nietzsche’s 'great politics' in the context of both Nietzsche’s writings and their cultural and political settings. . . . A provocative and timely study."---Dale Wilkerson, Review of Metaphysics"Drochon’s book is an important contribution to the ongoing debate about the question whether Nietzsche should be regarded as a political thinker. . . . The whole book, which also focuses on Nietzsche’s views about the Greeks, the state, democracy, and the relation of democracy to aristocracy, is a carefully construed and well-documented argument that Nietzsche did indeed make a contribution to political thought."---Manuel Knoll, Nietzsche-Studien"A daring and welcome attempt to re-historicize one of the nineteenth century’s most controversial philosophers, and should be read with great interest by scholars of Nietzsche, as well as students of European culture, thought and politics."---Rebecca Mitchell, Politics, Religion & Ideology"Rigorous in its close reading of the sources and written with great clarity. . . . Drochon also persuasively demonstrates that Nietzsche’s thought has a place within the canon of the history of political thought and that his political theory may prove resourceful when dealing with the specters that haunt liberal democracies and market societies today."---Dotan Leshem, Politics, Religion & Ideology"Drochon’s book is a stimulating and fascinating contribution to our understanding of Nietzsche’s enigmatic writings. Without a doubt, it will become the standard reference work for everyone interested in the philosopher’s complex political thought and its many legacies."---Udi Greenberg, Politics, Religion & Ideology"Hugo Drochon provides an invaluable service by drawing our attention to Nietzsche’s political philosophy, which he contends has been either neglected or misunderstood. . . . In a world where liberal and egalitarian pieties seem to be under strain, his views, however disquieting, merit our attention and Drochon is to be congratulated for exploring them in a subtle and sophisticated volume."---James Chappel, Politics, Religion & Ideology"A well-written and well-argued account of Nietzsche’s political vision that presents itself squarely within the tradition of Cambridge School intellectual history . . . Drochon is entirely right to conclude that Nietzsche does field a relatively coherent vision of political life, and he is also on the mark in his conclusion that Nietzsche’s politics remains a politics of the nineteenth century that cannot fully be translated into the present."---Christian J. Emden, Journal of Nietzsche Studies"In the otherwise crowded field of Nietzsche scholarship, this book has received an unusual and deserved amount of popular attention. In part, this follows from the strong reassertion today of various illiberal voices. Drochon’s concluding questions, concerning the purpose of European unity and the role of European elites, are inescapable."---Michael Lang, Journal of Modern History"Excellent. . . . Even a review essay cannot adequately capture the depth of scholarship and the originality present in [Nietzsche's Great Politics]. . . . Students of Nietzsche’s political provocations will want to read [it] in order to see how Nietzsche wrote a politics for the future predicated upon his careful reading of both his predecessors and his contemporaries."---Corey McCall, Comparative and Continental Philosophy"Hugo Drochon, a distinguished intellectual historian at Cambridge University, has in this brilliant new book pointed to another thinker who believed private protection agencies were possible. This is none other than Friedrich Nietzsche."---David Gordon, Mises Institute"Extraordinary book . . . . Drochon masterfully articulates a credible account of Nietzsche’s political action programme. . . . [A] rich, luminous and comprehensive argument."---Renato Cristi, History of Political Thought"For historians and political theorists alike, Drochon’s assessment of Nietzsche’s Great Politics sets a new standard, introducing readers to a political reading of the philosopher, and unearthing urgent new routes to be explored."---Emily Steinhauer, H-Diplo

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Book SynopsisDominant cultural narratives about later life dismiss the value senior citizens hold for society. In her cultural-philosophical critique, Hanne Laceulle outlines counter narratives that acknowledge both potentials and vulnerabilities of later life. She draws on the rich philosophical tradition of thought about self-realization and explores the significance of ethical concepts essential to the process of growing old such as autonomy, authenticity and virtue. These counter narratives aim to support older individuals in their search for a meaningful age identity, while they make society recognize its senior members as valued participants and moral agents of their own lives.

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Book SynopsisThe fundamental article of my political creed, declared John Adams, is that despotism, or unlimited sovereignty, or absolute power is the same in a majority of a popular assembly, an aristocratical council, an oligarchical junto, and a single emperor. Equally arbitrary, cruel, bloody, and in every respect diabolical. The consequences of this article for Adams'' thought are nowhere better articulated than in this anthology, which presents his remarkable attempts at constructing a complete political system based on constitutional, balanced, representative government.

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Book SynopsisFrom James I's Address Before Parliament (1610) to Joseph R. Biden, Jr.'s Learned Hand Dinner Address Before the American Jewish Committee (2005), this two-volume set offers an unparalleled selection of key texts from the history of American political and constitutional thought.Trade ReviewThis collection surpasses anything else I have seen in its representation of the complexity, breadth, and sheer intellectual splendor of United States political thinking. I have trouble imagining how the editors could improve on their skillful blending of vital texts and neglected gems; of legal documents and literary treasures; of poems, speeches, sermons, and jeremiads. The European and American roots of U.S. constitutional thinking are displayed in a fashion that reflects the best recent scholarship while at the same time the spokesmen from Indian nations are given the broad and full presence they deserve. The torturous intersection of race and politics is explored in well-chosen texts by Black, Chicano, and Indian writers and through a host of legal documents and decisions. Conservative and progressive voices, labor activists and libertarians, analytical political philosophers, and Sunday editorialists; they all find their place within the editors' lucid arrangement. This will serve as a superb textbook for classes on United States political theory, for classes on constitutional history, and for overviews of the struggle for democracy in America. It is a great gathering of evidence for those who see the United States as having a political theory tradition of unique richness, range, and relevance. --Brian Walker, UCLAThis is easily the most comprehensive, thoughtful, and updated collection of primary source readings in American political theory. It covers material typically excluded in existing edited volumes, particularly source documents for Native Americans, women, and African-Americans. Not only is the founding period well represented, but so too are the most recent expressions of American thought and politics. --Jim Savage, University of VirginiaA fantastic, comprehensive collection of primary materials, perfect for classroom use. Material is well-organized and presented with well-written, useful introductions contextualizing the documents and raising pertinent questions. --Ruth Grant, Department of Political Science, Duke University

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Book SynopsisTranslated into English for the first time, this work portrays a different side of Hegel -- not just as a philosopher preoccupied with abstract ideas but a man deeply enmeshed and active in the pressing, concrete political issues of his timeTrade Review“Hegel and the Freedom of Moderns constitutes an extremely valuable and original contribution to the study of the genealogy of modernity and of bourgeois culture.”—Joseph A. Buttigieg, editor, The Prison Notebooks of Antonio Gramsci“Domenico Losurdo is one of the great contemporary authorities on Hegel; his work needs to be known in the English-speaking world.”—Fredric Jameson, Duke UniversityTable of ContentsTranslators’ Note xii Hegel Source Abbreviations xv Preface to the Italian Edition xvii ONE. A Liberal, Secret Hegel? I. Searching for the “Authentic” Hegel 3 1. Censorship and Self-Censorship 3 2. Linguistic Self-Censorship and Theoretical Compromise 9 3. Private Dimension and Philosophical Dimension 14 4. Hegel...a Mason? 16 5. Esoteric and Exoteric History 20 6. Philosophical Arguments and Political “Facts” 23 7. An Interpretative “Misunderstanding” or a Real Contradiction? 26 II. The Philosophies of Right: A Turning Point or Continuity 32 1. Reason and Actuality 32 2. The Power of Sovereign 39 3. One Turn, Two Turns, or No Turn at All 46 TWO. Hegel, Marx, and the Liberal Tradition III. Contractualism and the Modern State 53 1. Anticontractualism=Antiliberalism? 53 2. Contractualism and the Doctrine of Natural Law 56 3. Liberal Anticontractualism 58 4. The Celebration of Nature and the Ideology of Reactionism 60 5. Hegel and Feudal, Proto-Bourgeois Contractualism 64 6. Contractualism and the Modern State 67 IV Conservative or Liberal? A False Dilemma 71 1. Bobbio’s Dilemma 71 2. Authority and Freedom 72 3. State and Individual 78 4. The Right to Resistance 83 5. The Right of Extreme Need and Individual Rights 87 6. Formal and Substantive Freedom 90 7. Interpretative Categories and Ideological Presuppositions 92 V Hegel and the Liberal Tradition: Two Opposing Interpretations of History 96 1. Hegel and Revolutions 96 2. Revolutions from the Bottom-Up or from the Top-Down 100 3. Revolution According to the Liberal Tradition 103 4. Patricians and Plebeians 107 5. Monarchy and Republic 111 6. The Repression of the Aristocracy and the March Toward Freedom 113 7. Anglophobia and Anglophilia 116 8. Hegel, England, and the Liberal Tradition 118 9. Equality and Freedom 120 VI The Intellectual, Property, and the Social Question 124 1. Theoretical Categories and Immediate Political Options 124 2. The Individual and Institutions 128 3. Institutions and the Social Question 131 4. Labor and Otium 133 5. Intellectuals and Property-Owners 138 6. Property and Political Representations 141 7. Intellectuals and Craftsmen 142 8. A Banausic, Plebeian Hegel? 145 9. The Social Question and Industrial Society 148 THREE. Legitimacy and Contradictions of Modernity VII Right, Violence, and Notrecht 153 1. War and the Right to Property: Hegel and Locke 153 2. From the Ius Necessitatis to the Right of Extreme Need 155 3. The Contradictions of Modern Economic Development 157 4. Notrecht and Self-Defense: Locke, Fichte, and Hegel 160 5. “Negative Judgment,””Negatively Infinite Judgment,” and “Rebellion” 163 6. Notrecht, Ancien Regime, and Modernity 166 7. The Starving Man and the Slave 169 8. Ius Necessitatis, Ius Resistentiae, Notrecht 171 9. The Conflicts of Right with Moral Intention and Extreme Need 172 10. An Unsolved Problem 177 VII “Agora” and “Schole”: Rousseau, Hegel, and the Liberal Tradition 180 1. The Image of Ancient Times in France and Germany 180 2. Cynics, Monks, Quakers, Anabaptist, and Sansculottes 181 3. Rousseau, the “Poor People’s Grudge,” and Jacobinism 183 4. Politics and Economics in Rousseau and Hegel 186 5. The Social Question and Taxation 189 6. State, Contract, and Joint-Stock Company 193 7. Christianity, Human Rights, and the Community of Citoyens 195 8. The Liberal Tradition and Criticism of Rousseau and Hegel 199 9. Defense of the Individual and Criticism of Liberalism 200 IX School, Division of Labor, and Modern Man’s Freedom 204 1. School, State, and the French Revolution 204 2. Compulsory Education and Freedom of Conscience 206 3. School, State, Church, and Family 210 4. The Rights of Children 213 5. School, Stability, and Social Mobility 215 6. Professions and the Division of Labor 220 7. Division of Labor and Banality of Modernity: Schelling, Schopenhauer, and Nietzsche 222 X Moral Tension and the Primacy of Politics 225 2. Inconclusiveness and Narcissism in Moral-Religious Precepts 226 3. Modern World and the Restriction of Moral Sphere 228 4. Hegel and Kant 230 5. Hegel, Schleiermach, and the Liberal Tradition 231 6. Hegel, Burke, and Neo-Aristotelian Conservatism 234 7. Hegel, Aristotle, and the Rejection of Solipsistic Escape 237 8. The French Revolution and the Celebration of Ethicality 238 9. Morality, Ethically, and Modern Freedom 241 10. Hegel’s Ethical Model and Contemporary Actuality 243 XI Legitimacy of the Modern and Rationality of the Actual 246 1. The “Querelle de Anciens, des Modernes,” . . and of the Ancient Germans 246 2. Rejection of Modernity, Cult of Heroes, and Anti-Hegelian Polemic 247 3. Kant, Kleist, Schopenhauer, and Nietzsche 250 4. Modernity and the Uneasiness of Liberal Tradition 253 5. Philistinism, Statism, and Modern Standardization 256 6. The Rationality of the Actual and the Difficult Balance between Legitimation and Criticism of Modernity 260 FOUR. The Western World, Liberalism, and the Interpretation of Hegel’s Thought XII The Second Thirty Years War and the “Philosophical Crusade” against Germany 267 1. Germans, “Goths,” “Huns,” and “Vandals” 267 2. The Great Western Purge 268 3. The Transformation of the Liberal Western World 272 4. An Imaginary Western World, an Imaginary Germany 276 5. Hegel Faces the Western Tribunal 279 6. Ilting and the Liberal Rehabilitation of Hegel 282 7. Lukacs and the Burden of National Stereotypes 286 XII Liberalism, Conservatism, the French Revolution, and Classic German Philosophy 290 1. Allegmeinheit and Egalite 290 2. The English Origins of German Conservatism 292 3. A Selective Anglophilia 296 4. Tracing the Origins of Social Darwinism and Fascist Ideology 297 5. Beyond National Stereotypes 299 6. Burke and the History of European Liberalism 300 7. Burke’s School of Thought and Classic German Philosophy 302 8. Hegel and the Legacy of t

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Book SynopsisThis handbook provides detailed philosophical analysis of the life and thought of Socrates across fifteen in-depth chapters. Each chapter engages with a central aspect of the rich tradition of Socratic studies and, after surveying the state of scholarship, points the way forward to new directions of interpretation. A leading team of scholars present dynamic readings of Socrates, extracted from the historical context of Plato's dialogues, covering elenchus, irony, ignorance, definitions, pedagogy, friendship, politics and the daemon. Building on these core Socratic topics, this edition includes new accounts of Socrates in the work of philosopher and historian, Xenophon, the comic playwright, Aristophanes, as well as important scholarship on topics such as emotions, the afterlife, motivational intellectualism and virtue intellectualism. Fully revised and updated, the Bloomsbury Handbook of Socrates elucidates the complex landscape of Socratic thought and interpretaTrade Review(From the first edition) Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-level undergraduates through graduate students; general readers. -- CHOICE(From the first edition) This new companion to Socrates will be very welcome to scholars. The book aims "to assemble a comprehensive guide to the main issues engaged in the philosophy of Socrates". These essays fulfill that aim admirably. -- Bryn Mawr Classical ReviewSocrates wrote nothing, but the impact (both of his person and of his thought) was decisive already in antiquity and not least in the history of later philosophy (even up to the present day). This book, which brings together fifteen contributions from leading Socratic scholars, offers a helpful mapping to reconstruct Socrates’ thought, his argumentative strategies, and the main problems he addresses. * Marcelo D. Boeri, Professor of Philosophy, Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, Chile *Together with other recent books on Socrates, the new revised edition of the Bloomsbury Handbook is a sign of the vitality, diversity, and creativity of Socratic Studies today. This volume will serve as a useful and inspiring touchstone not only for those investigating Socrates through the prism of the analytic school of interpretation pioneered by Gregory Vlastos, but for all students of the great master. * Gabriel Danzig, Professor in the Department of Classical Studies, Bar Ilan University, Israel *This new edition is rich, comprehensive, and up-to-date. An important resource on the philosopher Socrates for both students and scholars. * Donald Morrison, Professor of Philosophy, Rice University, USA *Table of ContentsList of Contributors Preface List of Abbreviations 1. Socrates in Ancient Comedy (Alessandro Stavru, Bocconi University, Italy) 2. Xenophon’s Socrates on Teaching and Learning Russell Jones (University of Oklahoma, USA) and Ravi Sharma (Clark University, USA) 3. Socratic Methods, Eric Brown (Washington University in St. Louis, USA) 4. Socrates and the Forms, William J. Prior (University of Santa Clara, USA) 5. Socratic Ignorance, Keith McPartland (Williams College, USA) 6. The Priority of Definition, Hugh Benson (University of Oklahoma, USA) 7. Socratic Virtue Intellectualism, Justin Clark (Hamilton College, USA) 8. Socratic Eudaimonism, Paul Woodruff (University of Texas-Austin, USA) 9. Socratic Motivational Intellectualism, Freya Möbus (Loyola University of Chicago, USA) 10. Socrates on Love, Suzanne Obdrzalek (Claremont McKenna College, USA) 11. Socrates on Emotions, Irina Deretic (University of Belgrade, Serbia) 12. Socrates’ Political Philosophy, Curtis Johnson (Lewis & Clark College, USA) 13. Socratic Theology and Piety, Mark McPherran (Simon Frasier University, Canada) 14. Socrates on Death and the Afterlife, Emily Austin (Wake Forest University, USA) 15. The Trial of Socrates, Nicholas D. Smith (Lewis and Clark College, USA) Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisEconomic sanctions provide an alternative to waging war or a means to advance human rights. But are they morally justifiable? Philosophers have explored the ethics of war but rarely the ethics of carrots and sticks. Cécile Fabre offers a defense of economic statecraft, laying out a normative framework for this critical tool of diplomacy.Trade ReviewA sophisticated, timely, and insightful discussion of economic sanctions from a philosophical standpoint. -- Mathias Risse, Harvard UniversityComprehensive, clear, and illuminating, Economic Statecraft is better than anything in the current literature on the use of economic sanctions and conditional offers of material help in foreign policymaking. Fabre develops a compelling and nuanced human rights–based account of when sanctions and aid conditionality can and must be employed. -- Christian Barry, Australian National UniversityEconomic Statecraft confirms Fabre’s standing as one of the outstanding political philosophers of her generation. Not only does she have great depth, clarity, and insight; she applies her exceptional philosophical talents to questions and issues that have great importance, but that have received relatively little philosophical attention. Her relentless examination of the use of economic power in international relations is unlikely to be surpassed any time soon. -- Victor Tadros, University of Warwick

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Book SynopsisA close read of the rich collections of texts left behind by Václav Havel, one of the most important Czech thinkers and leaders of the twentieth century. No one in Czech politics or culture could match the international stature of Václav Havel at the time of his death in 2011. In the years since his passing, his legacy has only grown, as developments in the Czech Republic and elsewhere around the world continue to show the importance of his work and writing against a range of political and social ills, from autocratic brutality to messianic populism. This book looks squarely at the heart of Havel’s legacy: the rich corpus of texts he left behind. It analyzes the meanings of key concepts in Havel’s core vocabulary: truth, power, civilsociety, home, appeal, indifference, hotspot, theatre, prison, and responsibility. Where do these concepts appear in Havel’s oeuvre? What part do they play in his larger intellectual project? How might we understand Havel’s focus on these concepts as a centerpiece of his contribution to contemporary thought? How does Havel’s particular perspective on the meaning of these concepts speak to us in the here and now? The ten contributors use a variety of methodological tools to examine the meaning of these concepts, drawing on a diversity of disciplines: political science and political philosophy, historical and cultural analysis, discourse/textual analysis, and linguistic-corpus analysis.Table of ContentsDavid S. Danaher and Kieran Williams: Editors’ preface: A word about Havel’s key words Jirí Pribán: Foreword David S. Danaher: apel/výzva (appeal) Kieran Williams: pravda (truth) Irena Vanková: domov (home, homeland)Jirí Suk: vezení (prison) Barbara Day: divadlo (theater) Kieran Williams: ohnisko (hotspot) Delia Popescu: moc (power) Barbara J. Falk and Daniela Bouvier-Valenta: odpovednost (responsibility) David S. Danaher: lhostejnost (indifference) Aspen Brinton: obcanská spolecnost (civil society)

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Book SynopsisWhat does the development of a truly robust contemporary theory of domination require? Ashley J. Bohrer argues that it is only by considering all of the dimensions of race, gender, sexuality, and class within the structures of capitalism and imperialism that we can understand power relations as we find them nowadays. Bohrer explains how many of the purported incompatibilities between Marxism and intersectionality arise more from miscommunication rather than a fundamental conceptual antagonism. As the first monograph entirely devoted to this issue, "Marxism and Intersectionality" serves as a tool to activists and academics working against multiple systems of domination, exploitation, and oppression.Trade Review"The contributions of Bohrer [offer] the starting point for productive debate: serious about the matter, solidary in dealing with it." Vincent Streichhahn, Femina Politica, 1 (2020), translated from German "Ashley Bohrers "Marxism and Intersectionality" is indispensable reading for socialists trying to understand how class, race and gender mesh." -- Peter Drucker, Rampant, 24.03.2020

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Book SynopsisIn a series of evocatively titled theses, including 'Wrinkles', 'Inheriting a Feeling', 'Weight of the World' and 'Making Treasures Speak', Gerhard Richter engages the quintessentially human dilemma of how to receive an intellectual, cultural or political inheritance.

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Book SynopsisTracing the evolution of two major traditions in political philosophy—critical theory and philosophical liberalism—and the way they confront the judgment paradox, Albena Azmanova critiques prevailing models of deliberative democracy and their preference for ideal theory over political applicabilityTrade ReviewConcerned with the links connecting ethical positions and political reality, this ambitious and appealing contribution to critical theory guides our understanding of power and judgment, democracy and justice. Ranging wisely across multiple literatures and considerations, The Scandal of Reason offers compelling arguments about the level, type, and validity of ordered reflection most likely to advance good judgment and decent values under vexing conditions. -- Ira Katznelson, Ruggles Professor of Political Science and History, Columbia UniversityWith this original and incisive book, Albena Azmanova develops a new hermeneutic for reconciling two models of reasoning that have long been opposed to one another: contextually sensitive political judgments on the one hand versus procedurally-oriented models of discursive validity on the other. She argues that the more ideal a model of judgment, the less applicable in practice, and the more applicable in practice, the less morally rigorous—this has been the dilemma. She tries to resolve this by developing a model of critical political judgment, sensitive to shared matrices of meaning as well as hierarchies of reference. This is a major contribution to theories of judgment and is also written with flair and humor. -- Seyla Benhabib, Eugene Meyer Professor of Political Science and Philosophy, Yale UniversityCan deliberation avoid reproducing structural injustice? Dissatisfied with standard procedural models of public reason, Albena Azmanova proposes a new approach that foregrounds the ways in which power asymmetries prestructure deliberators' judgments. Combining philosophical rigor with sociological sensitivity, she extends the reach of critique to crucial regions that liberals ignore: namely, the sociocultural frames that simultaneously enable and constrain our capacity to perceive injustices. The result is a fascinating and convincing book that clarifies reason's 'scandalous' ability to serve both domination and emancipation. -- Nancy Fraser, Henry A. and Louise Loeb Professor of Political and Social Science, the New School for Social ResearchAlbena Azmanova navigates between abstract, universalist conceptions of justice and legitimacy and situated, particularistic claims that disguise their implicit norms. Her work on judgment solves many of the problems of existing theories of deliberative democracy without surrendering normative justification. What is especially valuable in her work is that she transforms deliberative theory in a way that will be more usable for both empirical analysis and political orientation. -- Andrew Arato, Dorothy Hirshon Professor in Political and Social Theory, The New School for Social ResearchAlbena Azmanova identifies what seems to have been a paradox in deliberative theory—that it be either relevant or normative but not both. She resolves this paradox with her own 'critical consensus model,' which shows that we need not give up on social criticism and political relevance in order to develop a theory with normative force. -- Noëlle McAfee, Emory UniversityAzmanova's original and theoretically incisive book reveals new connections between deliberative democracy and judgments about social injustice. Highly relevant for those interested in connecting critical theory to democratic deliberation. -- James Fishkin, director, Center for Deliberative Democracy, Stanford UniversityMoving well beyond the earlier generation of discursive theories, [Azmanova] open[s] up new modalities of politics and provide[s] us with new ways of thinking about them. -- Kevin Olson * Constellations *The Scandal of Reason is an impressive book. It is carefully argued, beautifully written, and thought provoking. * Perspectives on Politics *The problem Azmanova identifies is perennial, and she makes the convincing case that it cannot be ignored. * International Journal of Philosophical Studies *Table of ContentsPrefaceIntroduction: The Scandal of Reason and the Paradox of Judgment1. Political Judgment and the Vocation of Critical Theory2. Critical Theory: Political Judgment as Ideologiekritik 3. Philosophical Liberalism: Reasonable Judgment4. Liberalism and Critical Theory in Dispute5. Judgment Unbound: Arendt6. From Critique of Power to a Theory of Critical Judgment7. The Political Epistemology of Judgment8. The Critical Consensus Model9. Judgment, Criticism, InnovationConclusion: Letting Go of Ideal TheoryGlossary of Terms and AbbreviationsReferencesIndex

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Book SynopsisIn Necropolitics Achille Mbembe, a leader in the new wave of francophone critical theory, theorizes the genealogy of the contemporary world, a world plagued by ever-increasing inequality, militarization, enmity, and terror as well as by a resurgence of racist, fascist, and nationalist forces determined to exclude and kill. He outlines how democracy has begun to embrace its dark side---what he calls its “nocturnal body”---which is based on the desires, fears, affects, relations, and violence that drove colonialism. This shift has hollowed out democracy, thereby eroding the very values, rights, and freedoms liberal democracy routinely celebrates. As a result, war has become the sacrament of our times in a conception of sovereignty that operates by annihilating all those considered enemies of the state. Despite his dire diagnosis, Mbembe draws on post-Foucauldian debates on biopolitics, war, and race as well as Fanon''s notion of care as a shared vulnerability to explorTrade Review"The appearance of Achille Mbembe's Necropolitics will change the terms of debate within the English-speaking world. Trenchant in his critique of racism and its relation to the precepts of liberal democracy, Mbembe continues where Foucault left off, tracking the lethal afterlife of sovereign power as it subjects whole populations to what Fanon called ‘the zone of non-being.’ Mbembe not only engages with biopolitics, the politics of enmity, and the state of exception; he also opens up the possibility of a global ethic, one that relies less on sovereign power than on the transnational resistance to the spread of the death-world." -- Judith Butler“This book establishes Achille Mbembe as the leading humanistic voice in the study of sovereignty, democracy, migration, and war in the contemporary world. Mbembe accomplishes the nearly impossible task of finding a radical path through the darkness of our times and seizes hope from the jaws of what he calls ‘the deadlocks of humanism.’ It is not a comforting book to read, but it is an impossible book to put down.” -- Arjun Appadurai“Mbembe refreshes the debate in a Europe consumed by the ‘desire of apartheid.’ This is a man who is not afraid to throw national history, identities, and borders out the window. French universalism? ‘Conceited,’ asserts Mbembe. . . . In the style of Edouard Glissant . . . he doesn’t limit his geography to the level of the nation but expands it to the ‘Whole-World.’ He dreams of writing a common history of humanity that would deflate all the flashy national heroism and redraw new relations between the self and the other. In a France and a Europe which are even afraid of their own shadows, one can clearly see the subversive potential of Mbembe’s thought. His latest book Necropolitics, draws the unpleasant portrait of a continent eaten up by the desire of ‘apartheid,’ moved by the obsessive search for an enemy, and with war as its favorite game.” -- Cécile Daumas, * Libération *“[Mbembe’s] new book . . . is a precious tool to understand what occurs in the North as well as in the South. The analyses of this faithful reader of Franz Fanon are irrevocable: war has become not an exception but a permanent state, ‘the sacrament of our era’. . . . One of the biggest challenges we have to face, Mbembe warns us, is to defend our democracies while including this ‘other’ whom we don’t want if we are to build our common future.” -- Séverine Kodjo-Grandvaux and Michael Pauron * Jeune Afrique *"[Mbembe's] latest and eminently readable offering . . . speaks to the spirit of our times with such clarity and profundity that it bears all the hallmarks of an instant classic of anti-racist literature." -- Ashish Ghadiali * Red Pepper *"[Necropolitics] is a book that is in places rather complex to read but it is definitely worth persevering with, since it is filled with interesting insights into such issues as racism, the role of borders and separation, terrorism and its political expression and the mundane and everyday forms of enmity and hatred that shape the contemporary world around us." -- John Solomos * Ethnic and Racial Studies *“Hardly a single longform essay, Necropolitics is a portal of intricate thoughts on the state of the planet. … Mbembe’s latest work is a significant contribution to political and critical theory. Necropolitics is the book of this stifling hour, Mbembe its chronicler.” -- Eric Otieno * Postcolonial Studies *“Necropolitics pursues the themes of race and sovereign power as they relate to borders, prisons, war, and policing in the wake of decolonization and the aftermath of the U.S. civil rights struggle…. Mbembe’s commitment to articulating a common humanity as praxis, or as a humanity in creation, when institutions of life-making, care, and social reproduction are subjugated to the overwhelming power of death-making institutions, is what sets Necropolitics apart from other literatures that take up these questions.” -- Anuja Bose * Contemporary Political Theory *"Necropolitics would be a relevant supplementary text for graduate courses in theory political sociology and international relations.… The book provides the reader with fundamental perspectives on race, that align with common critiques of democracy and Foucault's concept of bioppower while drawing on Fanon's work." -- Kendall L. Gilliam * International Social Science Review *"Before Covid-19, Mbembe’s picture of a world enchanted by its own practice of mass murder-suicide in the name of democracy and liberal values seemed accurate enough. After, or during, or whenever we are, Mbembe’s prescience is horrifying, comforting, and absolutely necessary." -- Aria Dean * Artforum *"Some of Mbembe’s most penetrating and sustained meditations on democracy, race, colonialism, and his continued theorization of biopolitics. . . . Corcoran’s translation of Mbembe’s dense philosophical rhetoric manages to communicate its poetic character and vital pulse." -- Patrick Lyons * French Studies *"Mbembe’s work on necropolitics demonstrates how contemporary societies have exited democracy, renewing the camp and other colonial practices to create death worlds and a society of separation. Necropolitics makes an important contribution through outlining the conditions of hatred and separation that constitute contemporary death worlds." -- Patrick Dwyer * Canadian Review of Law and Society *"Necropolitics enriches African Studies while staying away from conventional tropes and stereotypes of identity politics. . . . In relation to African studies, the contribution of Mbembe’s Necropolitics lies in repositioning Africans as a divergent ‘minor’ process committed to actualizing futurity as a site of production of novel ethics, an ethics of connecting with the African past not as something dead and gone, but as emblematic of ‘a living labor’ that might produce the new Earth." -- Saswat Samay Das, Dibyendu Sahana * Africa Spectrum *Table of ContentsAcknowledgments vii Introduction. The Ordeal of the World 1 1. Exit from Democracy 9 2. The Society of Enmity 42 3. Necropolitics 66 4. Viscerality 93 5. Fanon's Pharmacy 117 6. This Stifling Noonday 156 Conclusion. Ethics of the Passerby 184 Notes 191 Index 211

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Book SynopsisThe Empire of Habit critiques the traditional interpretation of Locke's political thought, revealing that the foundation of Lockean liberalism is not natural law but discipline and habit. John Locke's political thought provides much of the theoretical underpinning for our own liberal democracy. According to Locke's liberalism, the rights and freedoms of civil society are grounded in natural law, which is known andobserved by all citizens. In this volume, John Baltes challenges this interpretation of Locke. Examining Locke's Essay Concerning Human Understanding and Some Thoughts Concerning Education, Baltes reveals aLocke who is in conflict with the natural-law philosopher found in his famous Two Treatises of Government. In his works on epistemology and education, Locke describes morality as a construct and human nature as malleable. Drawing on Foucault's concept of discipline, Baltes reconsiders Locke's liberalism and shows that it requires citizens governed not by natural law but habit, that is, subjects who are constructed by carefully controlled space and visibility and regulated in their conduct to become capable of self-government. The Empire of Habit thus offers not only a new reading of one of the most important political philosophers of the Western tradition but also newinsight into our own political liberalism. John Baltes is an independent scholar of political theory.Trade Review[Baltes's volume] counters the common view we have of Locke as a democratic contractarian egalitarian. Second, with some precise examples, it showcases how modern discipline is still moulding us today for liberal government, unbeknownst to us, through early-age habituation and life-long submission to the law of fashion. This second point makes Baltes's book relevant for philosophical reflections today. * PHILOSOPHICAL INQUIRIES *For a short book, this volume covers quite a bit of ground ... John Baltes provides a valuable service to readers, introducing them to an especially thorny problem in Locke's philosophical and political thought. The puzzle at the center of this book, that resisting the tyranny of habitual thinking involves forming habits of resistance, is worth investigating. * NOTRE DAME PHILOSOPHICAL REVIEWS *The Empire of Habit is the most detailed and comprehensive investigation of the fundamental roles of discipline and habit formation in Locke's political, economic, educational, and epistemological writings. It throws new light on the preconditions of Locke's political theory in the Two Treatises. -- -- James Tully, University of VictoriaTable of ContentsAcknowledgments Abbreviations Introduction Locke on Religious Crisis and Civil War: Nominalism, Skepticism, and the Essay in Context Locke's Inverted Quarantine: Discipline, Panopticism, and the Making of the Liberal Subject Locke's Labor Loosed: Discipline and the Idle Locke the Landgrave: Inegalitarian Discipline Notes Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisChiara Bottici brings fresh perspective to the formation of political and power relationships and the paradox of a world rich in imagery yet seemingly devoid of imagination. She identifies the imaginal's critical role in powering representative democracies and its amplification through globalization.Trade ReviewThis is an excellent book, very original and elegantly written. Chiara Bottici's contribution to the field of politics is an original one, since, even though there exist other theories about the social imaginary, Bottici's is pivotal in allowing us to understand contemporary politics and its paradoxes. It is a great addition to the field of academic discussions about politics, religion, imagination, and conceptual history. -- María Pía Lara, Universidad Autónoma MetropolitanaChiara Bottici's Imaginal Politics is an original, suggestive, and solid contribution to political philosophy broadly understood. The strength of Bottici's work lies in its scope and potential for unifying several strands of inquiry into one integrated theory of the imaginal and working out the consequences of this notion for a variety of disciplines. The whole field of 'politics and the imagination' is rapidly expanding, and I would not be surprised if this book were to turn into one of the key references in the field. -- Alessandro Ferrara, University of Rome Tor Vergata, and former president of the Italian Association of Political PhilosophyIn her new book, Chiara Bottici continues her pathbreaking work in imaginal cultural analysis. Neither properly imaginary nor precisely imaginative, the imaginal is the image broken free of the restraints of both indexicality and referentiality, becoming in the process free-floating agencies in modernity's advertising, spectacular, sports, military, and political games. -- Hayden White, University Professor, Emeritus, University of California, Santa CruzInsightful, wide-ranging, and exciting. -- Laura Hengehold * Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews *Table of ContentsAcknowledgmentsIntroductionPart 1. Imagining1. From Phantasia to Imagination2. From Imagination to the Imaginary and Beyond?3. Toward a Theory of the ImaginalPart 2. Politics4. A Genealogy of Politics: From Its Invention to the Biopolitical Turn5. Imaginal Politics6. Contemporary Transformations Between Spectacle and VirtualityPart 3. The Global Spectacle7. The Politics of the Past: The Myth of the Clash of Civilizations8. The Repositioning of Religion in the Public Sphere: Imaginal Consequences9. Imagining Human Rights: Gender, Race, and ClassThe Freedom of Equals: A Conclusion and a New BeginningNotesBibliographyIndex

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"[A] superb book. . . . In this tour d'horizon, as deep as it is wide, Wolin refuses to be impressed by the glamour of extremity. He shines light into many dark corners where intellectual fraud, self-deception, and hauteur passed for liberty during a murderous century. Talk about genealogy! Unreason will never be the same."--Todd Gitlin, Columbia University "[A] lively, learned, and wide-ranging work."--Choice "Absolutely entrancing. . . . [A] wide-ranging yet subtle consideration of the intellectual's abiding fascination with absolutism. . . . [A] perceptive, compelling and invaluable document."--John Banville, Irish Times "An indispensable book. . . . [A]nother important installment in what has become one of the major intellectual enterprises of our time: Richard Wolin's principled defense of liberalism against its most sophisticated enemies."--Adam Kirsch, New York Sun

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Book SynopsisPeter Ryley worked for more than thirty years in adult and higher education before taking early retirement from the University of Hull's Centre for Lifelong Learning. After a spell teaching history part-time at Manchester Metropolitan University, he is now fully retired from lecturing and is an independent researcher and writer.Trade ReviewAn ambitious, lively and detailed examination of a tradition of political thinking that was an under-appreciated presence in British intellectual life. Its major contribution is the recovery of individualist thinking as an aspect of this history -- Matthew S. Adams, University of Victoria, Australia * History: The Journal of the Historical Association *Peter Ryley’s book recovers the history of a badly neglected, valuable tradition of anarchist thinking that is richly inventive, refreshingly irreverent and fiercely defiant. His carefully documented defence is affectionate yet critical; and breathing life into an extraordinary set of activists, Ryley not only shows why historical engagement is relevant to contemporary politics he also challenges some radical orthodoxies in the process. -- Ruth Kinna, Loughborough University, UK, editor of the Continuum Companion to Anarchism (2012)Peter Ryley’s Making Another World Possible is a well-researched, superbly written guide to forgotten alternatives to the capitalism of late Victorian and Edwardian Britain. With humor and some empathy (but never veering into naive hagiography), Ryley takes seriously the contributions of a set of thinkers who have been treated with condescension by orthodox historians with eyes on the purveyors of establishment views or more well-known alternatives. A significant contribution to the history of political ideas, this is a book worth spending time with. -- Dr Michael Tyldesley, Senior Lecturer in Politics, Manchester Metropolitan University, UK and author of No Heavenly Delusion? (2003)Quite apart from the durable purpose this book will surely serve for its long-overdue reconnaissance of some of the most neglected terrain in Victorian-era British radical thought, Peter Ryley’s Making Another World Possible arrives as a work of immediately urgent relevance in the current moment of tear gas, financial implosion, austerity shock, and the preeminent ecological challenge of global climate change. In his resolve to “reassert the importance of history against the arrogance of the present,” Ryley succeeds splendidly in showing that we have been here before, not least in the work of imagining human progress against the contradictions of economic growth and the limits necessarily imposed by environmental sustainability. No mere polemic, Making Another World Possible is history of the most serious kind, but it’s told in the most lively and refreshing sort of way. Ryley situates the young hipsters of the Occupy Movement, the direct-action cadres of the Zapatistas and the Indignados and the anti-globalization protesters of the 1990s within the same conversation as the sophisticated politicians of the Green Party and even free-market utopians. This is a conversation with perhaps its deepest roots in the raucous and cosmopolitan radical milieu of 19th century Britain, perhaps most noticeably in the early ecological anarchism of Patrick Geddes and Elisée Reclus. To that milieu, Ryley helpfully reclaims the overlooked Victorian individualists Herbert Spencer, Wordsworth Donisthorpe, Joseph Hiam Levy and others as upstanding contributors to schools of thought most closely associated with the likes of Pierre-Joseph Proudhon, Mikhail Bakunin and Peter Kropotkin. In the contemporary rediscovery of a broadly-defined anarchism as a “doctrine of hope,” with all its idiosyncrasy and utopianism and its individualist, communist, pragmatic, libertarian, and even Christian variants and foundations, Making Another World Possible serves as both an indispensable resource and a generous and engaging companion. -- Terry Glavin, columnist at the Ottawa Citizen, and author of The Lost and the Left Behind: Stories from the Age of Extinctions and Come From the Shadows: The Long and Lonely Struggle for Peace in AfghanistanContemporary Anarchist Studies positions anarchism squarely in the mainstream of political research and methodology. Rather than treating it as an “anti-politics” approach to political ideas and ideologies, it integrates anarchism into many of the central concerns of political theory, casting a fresh and critical look on the discipline as a whole. Employing perspectives from philosophy, ideology and history, this ambitious and important series offers rich pickings to scholars and students alike. * Professor Michael Freeden, Oxford University and the University of Nottingham, Founding Editor of the Journal of Political Ideologies, recipient of the Isaiah Berlin Prize of the UK Political Studies Association for lifetime contribution to political studies, and author of The Political Theory of Political Thinking: The Anatomy of a Practice (2013) *At a time of the accelerated destruction of the environment and the increasing power of states and corporations to control the lives of people throughout the world, this anarchist series of challenging and thoughtful books could not be more timely and relevant. They not only offer an incisive critique of authoritarian things as they are but show vividly the libertarian alternative. The profoundest radical energy is now coming from anarchist theory and practice. The series should therefore be widely welcomed and discussed if we are to emerge from the present natural and political impasse. * Peter Marshall, author of over 15 books, including Demanding the Impossible: A History of Anarchism (2010), Nature’s Web: Rethinking our Place on Earth (1994), and Riding the Wind: Liberation Ecology for a New Era (2009) *This series makes a real contribution by bringing a much-neglected political tradition to the attention of scholars and activists. Anarchism has a rich past and an open future. The series editors have brought together a group of thinkers who explore both in a provocative and timely fashion. * Professor Stuart White, Oxford University, author of Equality (2006) *Contemporary Anarchist Studies is a most welcome, and timely, addition to bibliography on anarchism, political philosophy, and social movements. Anarchist theory, at its best, begins with issues confronting real people, and is written in language they can understand. The volumes in this series do just that, avoiding both obfuscation and condescension. I eagerly await the next installments! * Professor Martha Ackelsberg, Smith College, author of Free Women of Spain: Anarchism and the Struggle for the Emancipation of Women (2004) *Table of ContentsChapter 1 Property and Progress: The Emergence of Anarchist Political Economy Chapter 2 Kropotkin and the Rise of Anarchist Communism Chapter 3 The English Individualists Chapter 4 Individualist Anarchism in Late Victorian Britain Chapter 5 Anarchist Communism in the Era of Outrage Chapter 6 The Rise of Ecological Anarchism: Elisée Reclus and Patrick Geddes Chapter 7 Conclusion

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Book SynopsisTrade Review“This book is a brilliant tour-de-force. As the questions of democracy, economic democracy, and socialism are of growing interest to so many, the time for this book has surely come.”—Joerg Rieger, Vanderbilt University "In this important and timely book, Dorrien gives us a masterful synthetic overview of democratic socialism as a distinct moral and political tradition, outlining the theological and philosophical currents that were vital to its development. His exemplary scholarship is driven by a passion for the existential importance of this tradition."—Luke Bretherton, Duke University"Social Democracy in the Making provides a superb, erudite history of the evolution of democratic socialist ideas and practices, thereby highlighting the vital efforts of the democratic Left to create a new and better world."–Lawrence S. Wittner, University at Albany, SUNY“This well-researched, insightful, and nuanced account successfully presents a strong case for democratic socialism as a compelling political alternative in our radically pluralist society.”— Rubén Rosario Rodríguez, Saint Louis University “This book is a profound and important interpretation of the intertwined legacies of Christian socialism and Social Democracy, interpreting both as movements for economic democracy–an indispensable common ground for social justice movements today.”—Jung Mo Sung, Methodist University of São Paulo, Brazil

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Book SynopsisCritical theorists of economy tend to understand the history of market society as a succession of distinct stages. This vision of history rests on a chronological conception of time whereby each present slips into the past so that a future might take its place. This book argues that the linear mode of thinking misses something crucial about the dynamics of contemporary capitalism. Rather than each present leaving a set past behind it, the past continually circulates through and shapes the present, such that historical change emerges through a shifting panorama of historical associations, names, and dates. The result is a strange feedback loop between now and then, real and imaginary. Demonstrating how this idea can give us a better purchase on financial capitalism in the post-crisis era, History in Financial Times traces the diverse modes of history production at work in the spheres of financial journalism, policymaking, and popular culture. Paying particular attention to narrative and to notions of crisis, recurrence, and revelation, Amin Samman gives us a novel take on the relation between historical thinking and critique. Trade Review"In History in Financial Times, Amin Samman brilliantly exposes the intricate workings of the historical imagination in our present financialized times. Effortlessly weaving together political economy, philosophy, historiography, and cultural studies, this book is a must-read for anyone interested in understanding financial life today."—Jacqueline Best, University of Ottawa"Amin Samman has written a strikingly original book that brings the theory of history to issues of finance and economics in ways that I have not seen. His approach pushes both disciplines into new and productive territory. It is exciting, fresh, and strange in the most provocative and productive way."—Ethan Kleinberg, Wesleyan University"Samman argues that the inescapable recursiveness of historical reasoning requires a new politics that eschews metahistorical cul-de-sacs for a more honest and flexible reckoning with the conditions of life. An interesting and provocative application of poststructural theory to a field that is normally the province of materialists, this book is best suited to scholars of historiography and theory. Recommended."—S. P. Harshner, CHOICE"History in Financial Times draws on and synthesizes an impressive array of concepts, theories, and disciplines only gestured at here. The book shows a great deal of range in its method....[The] insistence on history in financial times serves as a necessary corrective to narrow-minded theories of economic or financial subjectivity and the self-serving significations of economic elites."—John Macintosh, Los Angeles Review of Books"[History in Financial Times] offers means to analyse the minutiae of how historical narratives (for instance, analogies between the 2008 financial crisis and the Great Depression) become a shorthand to help explain what is happening in the present....Samman's emphasis on narrative throughout the book is hugely important at a moment of widespread narrative dysfunctionality in which the distinction between fact and fiction comes to be widely contested."—Emily Rosamond, Finance and Society"History in Financial Timesis a deeply original and impressive contribution to critical studies of finance, the history of capitalism, and historical theory."—Joel Isaac, The American Historical Review"In its many luminous moments, Samman's text pushes the reader to rethink history itself (as a field, as a discourse, as an imaginary) as embedded in and impacting the dynamics of late financial capitalism. In particular, he helps us see the intricate interweaving of immaterial financial operations and the factual and fictional representations of those phenomena."—C. N. Biltoft, History & TheoryTable of ContentsIntroduction: "We Live in Financial Times" 1. Crisis Thinking 2. Historical Imagination 3. Return and Recurrence 4. Repetition and Revelation 5. Names of History Afterword: Exits to the Future

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"An elegant and penetrating conception of the nature of political philosophy."---Lewis Ross, Journal of Moral Philosophy"A terrific achievement that will be of lasting benefit.—Thom Brooks, Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews"

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Book SynopsisClayton Crockett offers an innovative philosophy of energy that cuts across a number of leading-edge disciplines. Drawing from contemporary philosophies of New Materialism, non-Western traditions, and the sciences, he develops a comprehensive vision of energy as a material process spanning physics, biology, politics, ecology, and religion.Trade ReviewAn exciting new title from one of the most original theologians of his generation. Clayton Crockett unfolds with unrelenting inventiveness the implications of the simple but revolutionary premise that everything changes. To be is to be transformed, in physics as in life, in theology as in biology. From the transformation of energy to the energy of transformation, from 'being' to 'God,' if you like. Don’t miss it! -- John D. Caputo, author of In Search of Radical Theology: Expositions, Explorations, ExhortationsSomehow Clayton Crockett breaks open a perspective as spacious as the cosmos and as timely as our globally warming moment. This magnificent volume energizes the matter—the physical and biological material—of the new materialism, conducting it with utterly legible brilliance through current politics and economics, through decolonial and plural worlds of spirit, through radical theology. At every twist, Energy and Change intensifies the possibility, the precarious chance, of the change all sane earthlings now require. -- Catherine Keller, author of Facing Apocalypse: Climate, Democracy and Other Last ChancesEnergy is constant and yet it changes. It is constant because it changes and changes because it is constant. This paradox has been inscribed at the heart of physics and philosophy since the pre-Socratics and up to Einstein. Through an erudite and thoughtful exploration, Crockett offers a radical theological approach to this cosmological enigma. -- Catherine Malabou, author of Morphing Intelligence: From IQ Measurement to Artificial BrainsIn characteristically exuberant prose and across nearly every discipline, Energy and Change interprets and contests the convulsive neoliberal ideologies accelerating our ecological disaster. Amplifying the work of 'new materialism' with a full-fledged philosophy of energy, this is the book that fans of Clayton Crockett have been waiting for. -- Mary-Jane Rubenstein, author of Pantheologies: Gods, Worlds, MonstersTable of ContentsAcknowledgmentsIntroduction: New Materialism and Energy Transformation1. The Dynamics of Nature2. Vital Matters: Bioenergetics and Life3. Political Economy and Political Ecology: Energy, General Economy, and Exchange4. Of Spirit in Amerindian, Vodou, and Chinese Traditions5. Radical Theology and the Nature of GodNotesIndex

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Book SynopsisWhen democracy is under threat from authoritarianism, models of resistance must come to the fore. Giustizia e Libertà, founded by the Italian thinker and activist Carlo Rosselli in 1929, is one intriguing historical example. Operating both in exile and as part of a clandestine network at home, the organization fought against fascism and Nazism, while criticizing Stalinism. To defeat the enemy, the group aimed to go beyond the Marxist notion of class and to assert fresh concepts of nationhood and Europe. The book traces the group’s trajectories and debates and follows its legacy to the present.- ‘Bresciani’s book is a remarkable contribution to the current debate on the distinctive nature of fascism(s)’ - CARLO GINZBURG, author of NEVERTHELESS: MACHIAVELLI, PASCAL- ‘The story that Bresciani tells with great finesse in this necessary book is the heroic history that accompanied the birth of democracy in Italy’ - NADIA URBI

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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