The state of sovereignty : lessons from the political fiction of modernity / Peter Gratton.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Gratton, Peter.

Series:

SUNY series in contemporary French thought.

SUNY series in contemporary French thought

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Sovereignty.

Physical Description:

xi, 287 p.

Place of Publication:

Albany : State University of New York Press, c2012.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Following up on the fables and stories surrounding political sovereignty—once theological, now often nationalist—Peter Gratton's The State of Sovereignty takes aim at the central concepts surrounding the post-9/11 political environment. Against those content to conceptualize what has been called the "sovereign exception," Gratton argues that sovereignty underwent profound changes during modernity, changes tracked by Rousseau, Arendt, Foucault, Agamben, and Derrida. Each of these thinkers investigated the "fictions" and "illusions" of claims to sovereign omnipotence, while outlining what would become the preeminent problems of racism, nationalism, and biopower. Gratton illustrates the principal claims that tie these philosophers together and, more importantly, what lessons they offer, perhaps in spite of themselves, for those thinking about the future of politics. His innovative readings will open new ground for new and longtime readers of these philosophers alike, while confronting how their critiques of sovereignty reshape our conceptions of identity, freedom, and selfhood. The result not only fills a long-standing need for an up-to-date analysis of the concept of sovereignty but is also a tour de force engaging readers in the most important political and philosophical questions today.

Contents:

Front Matter

Contents

Acknowledgments

Introduction

Rousseau and the Right of Life and Death over the Body Politic

Arendt’s Archaeology of Sovereignty

“The World is at Stake”

Torturing Sovereignty

What More is There to Say?

Derrida and the Limit of Sovereignty’s Reason

Conclusion

Notes

Bibliography

Index

Notes:

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9781461907794

1461907799

9781438437866

1438437862

OCLC:

809258742