A critical introduction to Giorgio Agamben’s political thought that highlights its affirmative dimension

Tracing how the logic of inoperativity works in the domains of language, law, history and humanity, Agamben and Politics systematically introduces the fundamental concepts of Agamben’s political thought and a critically interprets his insights in the wider context of contemporary philosophy.
Agamben’s commentators and critics tend to focus on his powerful critique of the Western political tradition in the Homo Sacer series. But this narrow focus serves to obscure the overall structure of Agamben’s political thought, which is neither negative nor critical but affirmative. Sergei Prozorov brings out the affirmative mood of Agamben’s political thought, focusing on the concept of inoperativity, which has been central to Agamben’s work from his earliest writings.
Key Features

The first critical introduction to focus on Agamben`s political thought
Shows Agamben`s political thought to be primarily affirmative rather than critical
Reads Agamben`s politics in the context of his first philosophical works on ontology and ethics
Covers all of Agamben`s published work, introducing the full variety of themes and concepts he addresses

Contents:

Introduction; 1. All’s Well That Ends Well: Agamben’s Comic Politics; 2. The Sabbatical Animal: The Politics of Inoperativity; 3. Speaking the Unspeakable: Inoperative Language; 4. How to Play with the Law: Inoperative Statehood; 5. The Time of the End: Inoperative History; 6. Outside of Being: Inoperative Humanity; Conclusion: An Optimist Against All Odds; Bibliography, Index.

About the author:

Sergei Prozorov is University Lecturer in World Politics and Academy of Finland Research Fellow at the Department of Political and Economic Studies, University of Helsinki. He is the author of six monographs, the most recent being Ontology and World Politics and Theory of the Political Subject, and numerous journal articles on political philosophy and international relations.