Negativity and Politics - Dionysus and Dialectics from Kant to Poststructuralism (Hardcover)

Although frequently invoked by philosophers and political theorists, the theory of negativity has received arguably little sustained attention. This text provides a full length study of this crucial problematic within philosophy and political theory. Diana Coole clearly shows how the problem of negativity lies at the heart of philosophical and political debate. Firstly, she explores the meaning of negativity as it appears in modern and postmodern thinking. Secondly, she sets out the significance of negativity for politics and our understanding of what constitutes the political. The first part of the book sets out an insightful reading of Kant's "Critique of Pure Reason" , before moving on to a consideration of Hegelian dialectics. Diana Coole asks, in the light of Marxist and poststructuralist criticism, in what sense Hegel sustains negativity. In the second part of the book, she explores how well these Marxist and poststructuralist critics remain faithful to negativity. Throughout, she illustrates the importance of negativity in the thought of a number of key theorists, including Nietzsche's theory of the "will to power"; Adorno's "negative dialectics"; and Julia Kristeva's "gende