Unbearable Life: A Genealogy of Political Erasure (Insurrections: Critical Studies in Religion, Politics, and Culture)

In ancient Rome, any citizen who had brought disgrace upon the state could be subject to a judgment believed to be worse than death: damnatio memoriae, condemnation of memory. The Senate would decree that every trace of the citizen's existence be removed from the city as if they had never existed in the first place. Once reserved for individuals, damnatio memoriae in different forms now extends to social classes, racial and ethnic groups, and even entire peoples. In modern times, the condemned go by different names--"enemies of the people;" the "missing," the "disappeared," "ghost" detainees in "black sites"--but they are subject to the same fate of political erasure. Arthur Bradley explores the power to render life unlived from ancient Rome through the War on Terror. He argues that sovereignty is the power to decide what counts as being alive and what does not: to make life "unbearable," unrecognized as having lived or died. In readings of Augustine, Shakespeare, Hobbes, Robespierre, Schmitt, and Benjamin, Bradley asks: What is the "life" of this unbearable life? How does it change and endure across sovereign time and space, from empires to republics, from kings to presidents? To what extent can it be resisted or lived otherwise? A profoundly interdisciplinary and ambitious work, Unbearable Life rethinks sovereignty, biopolitics, and political theology to find the radical potential of a life that neither lives or dies.

Politics & Social Sciences

Bradley, Arthur

Philosophy

Columbia University Press

In ancient Rome, any citizen who had brought disgrace upon the state could be subject to a judgment believed to be worse than death: damnatio memoriae, condemnation of memory. The Senate would decree that every trace of the citizen’s existence be removed from the city as if they had never existed in the first place. Once reserved for individuals, damnatio memoriae in different forms now extends to social classes, racial and ethnic groups, and even entire peoples. In modern times, the condemned go by different names―“enemies of the people;” the “missing,” the “disappeared,” “ghost” detainees in “black sites”―but they are subject to the same fate of political erasure. Arthur Bradley explores the power to render life unlived from ancient Rome through the War on Terror. He argues that sovereignty is the power to decide what counts as being alive and what does not: to make life “unbearable,” unrecognized as having lived or died. In readings of Augustine, Shakespeare, Hobbes, Robespierre, Schmitt, and Benjamin, Bradley asks: What is the “life” of this unbearable life? How does it change and endure across sovereign time and space, from empires to republics, from kings to presidents? To what extent can it be resisted or lived otherwise? A profoundly interdisciplinary and ambitious work, Unbearable Life rethinks sovereignty, biopolitics, and political theology to find the radical potential of a life that neither lives or dies.

Staging Sovereignty: Theory, Theater, Thaumaturgy (Insurrections: Critical Studies in Religion, Politics, and Culture)

To become sovereign, one must be seen as sovereign. In other words, a sovereign must appear-philosophically, politically, and aesthetically-on the stage of power, both to themselves and to others, in order to assume authority. In this sense, sovereignty is a theatrical phenomenon from the very beginning. This book explores the relationship between theater and sovereignty in modern political theory, philosophy, and performance. Arthur Bradley considers the theatricality of power-its forms, dramas, and iconography-and examines sovereignty's modes of appearance: thrones, insignia, regalia, ritual, ceremony, spectacle, marvels, fictions, and phantasmagoria. He weaves together political theory and literature, reading figures such as Plato, Aristotle, Montaigne, Leibniz, Kant, Hegel, Schmitt, Benjamin, Derrida, and Agamben alongside writers including Shakespeare, Cervantes, Schiller, Melville, Valéry, Kafka, Ionesco, and Genet. Formally inventive and deeply interdisciplinary, Staging Sovereignty offers a surprising and original narrative of political modernity from early modern political theology to the age of neoliberal capitalism.

Literature & Fiction

History & Criticism

Derrida's Of Grammatology (Indiana Philosophical Guides)

Jacques Derrida's Of Grammatology is essential reading for anyone interested in contemporary philosophy, literary theory, and intellectual history. Arthur Bradley's guide proves clear, careful, and sober commentary to explicate this pathbreaking work. Suitable for readers at all levels and in all disciplines, this guide is a welcome resource for understanding this key text.

Indiana University Press

Jacques Derrida's Of Grammatology is essential reading for anyone interested in contemporary philosophy, literary theory, and intellectual history. Arthur Bradley's guide proves clear, careful, and sober commentary to explicate this pathbreaking work. Suitable for readers at all levels and in all disciplines, this guide is a welcome resource for understanding this key text.

Negative Theology and Modern French Philosophy (Routledge Studies in Religion)

This book provides a significant and insightful exploration of the so-called 'theological turn' in contemporary French thought. The philosopher Jacques Derrida speaks of a deeply ambiguous desire to 'save the name' of God in his work on negative theology, and this desire resonates in different ways in the work of his contemporaries. This turn to religion within the work of a group of thinkers who have been stereotypically identified as relativists or nihilists prompts a series of questions which form the background to this study.Negative Theology and Modern French Philosophy advance a reading of negative theology as an ancient name for something that is essential, not simply to modern French thought, but to all responsible thought and action whatsoever. It will be of essential interest to theologians and philosophers and will also interest those concerned with the work of Derrida and his contemporaries.

Routledge

On and Off the Bandstand is a study of American history, invention, and culture that focuses on the evolution of popular music. Efforts to keep the best of the bandstand alive in the twentieth century, as well as today, are enthusiastically celebrated. Before reliable lighting and central heating, entertainment mainly occurred outdoors. Without microphones, a band performance was the centerpiece of choice for numerous celebrations. Outstanding conductors and musicians were major celebrities in their day. The basic instrumentation and musical language remained the same for over a hundred years-even as the venues moved indoors. Without breaks in continuity, each phase moved smoothly to the next, and newer artists respected their forbearers and cherished their accomplishments. Marching bands, concert bands, ragtime bands, and swing bands are still here today, but they have retired to the background. The band era was accompanied by some remarkable innovations, such as sound recording and radio. These technologies played a crucial role and receive considerable attention as the story unfolds. In addition to its historical contributions, On and Off the Bandstand pays tribute to a handful of dedicated individuals who have become advocates for the music of their parents' and grandparents' time.

ON AND OFF THE BANDSTAND: A collection of essays related to the great bands, the story of jazz, and the years when there was non-vocal popular music for adults

Arts & Photography

Music

iUniverse

In this world, there is good and there is evil. Of this I am sure.-Kazuya MatsumotoA powerful international organization wants to tip the balance of global power in their favor by infiltrating the White House's next election. At the direction of its mastermind, alias Pecos Bill, presidential candidates have become unwitting targets of a world-class sharpshooter.A martial arts expert, a greedy corporate attorney, and a self-proclaimed conspiracy theorist form a shaky alliance to uncover the assassin's identity before he can claim his next victim. Only as bodies begin to pile up do they realize that the killer may be in their very midst.

Process of Elimination

Genre Fiction

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Bradley, Arthur. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Bradley, Arthur

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Bradley, Arthur. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Unbearable Life: A Genealogy of Political Erasure (Insurrections: Critical Studies in Religion, Politics, and Culture)

Unbearable Life: A Genealogy of Political Erasure (Insurrections: Critical Studies in Religion, Politics, and Culture)

Staging Sovereignty: Theory, Theater, Thaumaturgy (Insurrections: Critical Studies in Religion, Politics, and Culture)

Staging Sovereignty: Theory, Theater, Thaumaturgy (Insurrections: Critical Studies in Religion, Politics, and Culture)

Derrida's Of Grammatology (Indiana Philosophical Guides)

Derrida's Of Grammatology (Indiana Philosophical Guides)

Negative Theology and Modern French Philosophy (Routledge Studies in Religion)

Negative Theology and Modern French Philosophy (Routledge Studies in Religion)

ON AND OFF THE BANDSTAND: A collection of essays related to the great bands, the story of jazz, and the years when there was non-vocal popular music for adults

Process of Elimination