Agamben (Key Contemporary Thinkers) - Softcover

Colebrook, Claire; Maxwell, Jason

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0745653111 ISBN 13: 9780745653112

Publisher: Polity, 2015

Synopsis

Until recently, "continental" philosophy has been tied either to the German tradition of phenomenology or to French post-structuralist concerns with the conditions of language and textuality. Giorgio Agamben draws upon and departs from both these lines of thought by directing his entire corpus to the problem of life - political life, human life, animal life, and the life of art. Influenced by the work of Martin Heidegger, Walter Benjamin, and the broader tradition of critical Marxism, Agamben's work poses the profound question for our time - just how exceptional are human beings? This beautifully written book provides a systematic, engaging overview of Agamben's writings on theology, aesthetics, political theory, and sovereignty. Covering the full range of Agamben's work to date, Claire Colebrook and Jason Maxwell explain Agamben's theology and philosophy by referring the concepts to some of today's most urgent political and ethical problems. They focus on the audacious way in which Agamben reconceptualizes life itself. Assessing the significance of the concepts key to his work, such as biopolitics, sovereignty, the "state of exception," and "bare life," they demonstrate his wide-ranging influence across the humanities.

About this title

About the Author:

Claire Colebrook is Edwin Erle Sparks Professor of English at Penn State University Jason Maxwell teaches and researches at Penn State University

About this edition

• Publisher: Polity
• Publication date: 2015
• ISBN 10: 0745653111
• ISBN 13: 9780745653112
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 224