Origin of Contemporary Obsession with Sovereignty in Critical Theory

[palotin]

Sorry all this is a question not an answer. I study anthropology and in the American academy we have to borrow our vocabulary and conceptual frameworks from continental and critical theorists. The big fancy shit these days is to use notions of bioethics and sovereignty to critique contemporary political reality in neo-liberal states of varying degrees of development or to use notions ethics, power, and the self to deconstruct liberalism theoretically. The second one I understand enough to dislike intensely. But I get enough of the theory about sovereignty and bioethics to find it both useful and interesting. I know that a lot the influence comes from Giorgio Agamben's works like Homo Sacer and from Foucault's mid to late-but-not-final periods. But where I'm a bit stumped is why and how someone like Agamben starts to find inspiration in the writings of someone like the Nazi Carl Schmitt. The journal Telos, which started off as sensible New Lefters, in the past 15-20 years has also found a new lease on life through Schmitt. Why are questions of sovereignty so important in contemporary critical theory? And why is a fascist like Schmitt influencing so much of the debate surrounding this issue?

[Rosa Lichtenstein]

It looks like no one can answer your question, comrade.

A better question might be: why is a proto-fascist like Hegel so influential?

[PigmerikanMao]

I'd say he's influencing the debate to such an extent because his bioethics and Nazi philosophy are raising controversial concerns (among the right at least) about the theories surrounding the composition of liberalism.

[gilhyle]

I dont have a ready answer to your question

As a by the way I observe that Hegel didnt have a fascist bone in his body, its a complete anachronism, you might as well accuse Jesus Christ of being sympathetic to West Coast Rap

Telos I used to read a long time ago. If I remember rightly they were very interested once in Gramsci and Colletti and all things Italian, which reflected their sympathy for Eurocommunism. That led in turn to later theories focussed on the functioning of civil society as a locus for a 'war of position' as Gramsci called it. That led on in turn to a focus on alternative power strategies, looking for ways to generate power structures in parrallel to the central state and in that regard Schmitt is interesting as a foil because of his very classical concept of the role of the State.

Personally I see nothing wrong with being interested in the concept of sovereignty. Marxists also have a problematic concept of sovereignty at the heart of our ideas, namely the workers state.

Agamben....uneducated person that I am I never read.

[Rosa Lichtenstein]

Gil:



As a by the way I observe that Hegel didnt have a fascist bone in his body, its a complete anachronism, you might as well accuse Jesus Christ of being sympathetic to West Coast Rap



Like Plato, he was a proto-fascist (which is what I said -- making stuff up again, I see?).

Moreover, his contradictory ideas can be (and have been) used to defend anything you like -- including Fascism.

[gilhyle]

I see you've read Karl Popper.:rolleyes:

[Rosa Lichtenstein]

So?