Hannah Arendt's Theory of Political Action: Daimonic Disclosure of the ‘Who'

264 Pages·2017·12.07 MB·English

by  Trevor Tchir (auth.)

International Political Theory
Series Editor
Gary Browning
Oxford Brookes University
Oxford
United Kingdom
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‘This book advances our understanding of Hannah Arendt’s ideas of action and
political life with an original and provocative focus on the idea of the daimon.
Tchir critically assesses Arendt’s encounter with Heidegger, Marx, and Kant,
leaving us with a better understanding of her and the political theorists with
whomshe grappled. Asa result, weare left withnewinsightsinto howArendt’s
politicaltheorycanspeaktothecontemporarycondition.’
–ProfessorAnthonyLang,UniversityofSt.Andrews,UK
TrevorTchir
’
Hannah Arendt s
Theory of Political
Action
‘ ’
Daimonic Disclosure of the Who
TrevorTchir
DepartmentofLawandPolitics
AlgomaUniversity
SaultSte.Marie,Ontario,Canada
InternationalPoliticalTheory
ISBN978-3-319-53437-4 ISBN978-3-319-53438-1(eBook)
DOI10.1007/978-3-319-53438-1
LibraryofCongressControlNumber:2017936957
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To mymother,Sharon Tchir,
aworldlywomanof courageand principle
A
CKNOWLEDGMENTS
I would especially like to thank Catherine Kellogg and Koula Mellos for
theirinvaluable mentorshipover theyears.
I would also like to thank some of the other inspiring professors of
politics at the University of Alberta and the University of Ottawa, from
whomIhadthepleasuretolearnintheclassroom:DonCarmichael,Anna
Yeatman, Steve Patten, Janine Brodie, Douglas Moggach, Gilles Labelle,
AndréVachet, François Houle,Salam Hawa, andBonifaceKaboré.
Manythankstothosewhoprovidedhelpfuladviceondifferentpartsof
the manuscript during its early stages, in particular, David Kahane,
Patchen Markell, Mary Dietz, Phillip Hansen, Charles Barbour, and
RogerEpp.Thanks also tothe anonymousreviewers of later versions.
Many cheers and thanks to former colleagues or fellow graduate stu-
dentswithwhomIhaveenjoyedcollaborating,reading,andreflecting,or
who offered a particular word or act of encouragement along the way:
Jean-Jacques Defert, Dan Webb, Michael Kulicki, Ian Watts, James
Czank, Amy Swiffen, Stéphanie Martens, Grayson Hunt, Dion Blythe,
Magdalena Zolkos, Robert Nichols, Courtney Mason, David Reddall,
Robert Meynell, Marielle Rivard, Allyson Rogers, Cody McCarroll,
Omid Payrow Shabani,MickeyVallee, andMarc Spooner.
ThankstomycolleaguesandstudentsatAlgomaUniversityformaking
it afun, engaging,andpurposeful placeto work.
I appreciate the professionalism and friendliness of everyone I have
worked with at Palgrave Macmillan. Thanks also to Continuum,
CambridgeScholarsPublishing,andtheHannahArendtBluecherLiterary
Trustfortheirgenerouspermissiontore-publishpreviouslyprintedmaterial.
vii
viii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Finally, a very personal thank-you to my wife, Kristy, my brother,
Stephen, and my mother, Sharon, for their dependable support, interest,
andlove.Muchofthisbookwaswrittenjustaftermyfatherleftthisworld,
and my own thoughts on Arendt’s account of worldly immortality are
informedbytheexperienceofgrievinghim.So,Iwouldliketohonorhis
memoryhere,andIliketothinkthathewouldfindcausefor‘nostrovia!’
with thecompletionof thisbook.
P
ERMISSIONS
Parts of Chapter 2 were previously published in “Arendtian Action:
PerformativeDisclosureofthe‘Who’”inDeclensionsoftheSelf:ABestiary
ofModernity,editedbyJean-JacquesDefert,TrevorTchir,andDanWebb.
Newcastle:CambridgeScholarsPublishing,2008.Publishedwiththeper-
missionofCambridgeScholarsPublishing.
Parts of Chapters 2, 3, and 4 were previously published in “Daimon
Appearances and the Heideggerian Influence in Arendt’s Account of
Political Action” in Action and Appearance: Ethics and the Politics of
Writing in Hannah Arendt, edited by Anna Yeatman, Philip Hansen,
MagdalenaZolkos,andCharlesBarbour.NewYork:Continuum,2011.
Published with the permission of Continuum International Publishing
Group.
“History of Political Theory – Machiavelli, Niccolo.” Lecture at the
University of California, Berkeley, 1955. Copyright © 1955 by Hannah
Arendt.ReprintedbypermissionofGeorgesBorchardt,Inc.,onbehalfof
the Hannah ArendtBluecherLiteraryTrust.
“Political Theory of Kant.” Lecture at the University of California,
Berkeley, 1955. Copyright © 1955 by Hannah Arendt. Reprinted by
permission of Georges Borchardt, Inc., on behalf of the Hannah Arendt
BluecherLiterary Trust.
“Kant’s Moral Philosophy.” Seminar at University of Chicago, Chicago,
IL,1964.Copyright©1964byHannahArendt.Reprintedbypermission
ix
x PERMISSIONS
of Georges Borchardt, Inc., on behalf of the Hannah Arendt Bluecher
Literary Trust.
“Philosophy and Politics: the Problem of Action and Thought after the
French Revolution.” Lecture, 1954. Copyright © 1954 by Hannah
Arendt. Reprinted by permission of Georges Borchardt, Inc., on behalf
of theHannah ArendtBluecherLiterary Trust.
“Plato.” Seminar at Columbia University, New York, NY, 1960.
Copyright © 1960 by Hannah Arendt. Reprinted by permission of
Georges Borchardt, Inc., on behalf of the Hannah Arendt Bluecher
Literary Trust.
“Marx, Karl.” Seminar at University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 1966.
Copyright © 1966 by Hannah Arendt. Reprinted by permission of
Georges Borchardt, Inc., on behalf of the Hannah Arendt Bluecher
Literary Trust.
“Philosophy and Politics, What is Political Philosophy?” Lectures and
seminar at New School for Social Research, New York, NY, 1969.
Copyright © 1969 by Hannah Arendt. Reprinted by permission of
Georges Borchardt, Inc., on behalf of the Hannah Arendt Bluecher
Literary Trust.