An Archaeology of the Political - (Columbia Studies in Political Thought / Political History) by Elías Palti (Paperback)

About the Book

Elías José Palti argues that the dimension of reality known as the political is not a natural, transhistorical entity. Instead, the horizon of the political arose in the context of a series of changes that affirmed the power of absolute monarchies in seventeenth-century Europe and was successively reconfigured from this period up to the present.

Book Synopsis

In the past few decades, much political-philosophical reflection has been dedicated to the realm of "the political." Many of the key figures in contemporary political theory--Jacques Rancière, Alain Badiou, Reinhart Koselleck, Giorgio Agamben, Ernesto Laclau, and Slavoj Žižek, among others--have dedicated themselves to explaining power relations, but in many cases they take the concept of the political for granted, as if it were a given, an eternal essence.

In An Archaeology of the Political, Elías José Palti argues that the dimension of reality known as the political is not a natural, transhistorical entity. Instead, he claims that the horizon of the political arose in the context of a series of changes that affirmed the power of absolute monarchies in seventeenth-century Europe and was successively reconfigured from this period up to the present. Palti traces this series of redefinitions accompanying alterations in regimes of power, thus describing a genealogy of the concept of the political. Perhaps most important, An Archaeology of the Political brings to theoretical discussions a sound historical perspective, illuminating the complex influences of both theology and secularization on our understanding of the political in the contemporary world.

Review Quotes

An Archaeology of the Political is notable not only for its breathtaking scope and its conceptual originality but also for the range of sources used, from political texts to a detailed and sophisticated dialogue with figurative arts, dramatic performance, and even music, and with a good ear for social historical questions thrown in.-- "Hispanic American Historical Review"

[Palti] presents a broad but disturbing panorama to reflect upon the immense political challenges facing the contemporary world.--Priscila Dorella "Society for U.S. Intellectual History"

At a time when confidence in virtually all traditional modes of governance is rapidly eroding, the historical roots of our current dilemma have to be exposed before any prospect can exist of viable solutions. In this bold and ambitious survey of Western political theory and practice since the seventeenth century, which draws its lessons from European and Latin American history, as well as baroque and modern art, Palti provides a ruthlessly incisive analysis of the sources of our unfolding crisis. An Archaeology of the Political exemplifies the power of conceptual history at its best not only to illuminate the past, but also perhaps light the way to a better future.--Martin E. Jay, University of California, Berkeley

A tour de force. Palti's concise conceptual history of 'the political' dethrones our most cherished ideas about what political modernity is and where it came from.--Mark Thurner, Institute of Latin American Studies, School of Advanced Study, University of London

Elías Palti's book is one of the most original interpretations of the political (as opposed to politics) in many years. His conceptual history is a longue durée account of practices of representation of the divine, the sovereign, the people, war, and the search for a basic unity of the world. As we consider whether we have come to the end of this long quest, this book can be read as the story of our journey.--Jeremy I. Adelman, Henry Charles Lea Professor of History and Director of the Global History Lab at Princeton University

Palti's book is the best expression of the need to reconsider theology in light of its historical link to the Baroque.--María Pía Lara, Universidad Autonoma de Mexico

This is a key book that fills significant gaps in the scholarship of the long conceptual history of the political.--Federico Finchelstein, The New School for Social Research

About the Author

Elías José Palti is principal researcher for the National Scientific and Technical Research Council of Argentina, a professor at both the Universidad Nacional de Quilmes and the Universidad de Buenos Aires, and the director of the Center for Intellectual History at the Universidad Nacional de Quilmes. He is a 2009 Guggenheim Fellow and the author of thirteen books in Spanish.