Liberalism and Human Suffering: Materialist Reflections on Politics, Ethics, and Aesthetics

257 Pages·2010·1.75 MB·English

by  Asma Abbas

Liberalism and Human Suffering
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10.1057/9780230113541 - Liberalism and Human Suffering, Asma Abbas
Liberalism and Human Suffering
Materialist Reflections on
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Politics, Ethics, and Aesthetics 09-
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Asma Abbas y -
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10.1057/9780230113541 - Liberalism and Human Suffering, Asma Abbas
liberalism and human suffering
Copyright © Asma Abbas, 2010.
All rights reserved.
First published in 2010 by PALGRAVE MACMILLAN® in the United
States—a division of St. Martin’s Press LLC, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York,
NY 10010.
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Where this book is distributed in the UK, Europe, and the rest of the 09-
world, this is by Palgrave Macmillan, a division of Macmillan Publishers 11-
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LBiamsinitgedst,o rkeeg,i sHtearmedp sinh iEren RglGan2d1, 6cXomS.pany number 785998, of Houndmills, ect - 2
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Palgrave Macmillan is the global academic imprint of the above companies eC
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and has companies and representatives throughout the world. gra
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Palgrave® and Macmillan® are registered trademarks in the United States, y -
the United Kingdom, Europe and other countries. sit
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ISBN: 978-0-230-10445-7 Gill U
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data M
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Abbas, Asma. se
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Liberalism and human suffering : materialist reflections on politics, ce
ethics, and aesthetics / Asma Abbas. m - li
p. cm. co
ISBN 978-0-230-10445-7 (alk. paper) ect.
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1. Liberalism--Moral and ethical aspects. 2. Suffering—Political aspects. on
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3. Historical materialism. I. Title. e
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JC574.A274 2010 pal
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320.51—dc22 2010004031 w
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A catalogue record of the book is available from the British Library. al fro
Design by Scribe Inc. ateri
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First edition: October 2010 ght
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10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 C
Printed in the United States of America.
10.1057/9780230113541 - Liberalism and Human Suffering, Asma Abbas
They seemed to know how to blend together all that life contains,
the real truth, the undeniable last word, the innermost core of
all that is unbearably painful within a heart and all that is
joyful, all that is loved and all that is worthy of love but remains 05
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unloved, lied to and lied about, the unimaginable depths of the 0
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soul where no other can withstand the longing and which few have 01
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the conviction to plumb, the sorrows and the indisputable rage. ct -
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—Nadeem Aslam, Maps for Lost Lovers on
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For Ammi, Abbu, and Apa ersit
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10.1057/9780230113541 - Liberalism and Human Suffering, Asma Abbas
Contents
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Acknowledgments ix ct - 2
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Permissions xii n
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Introduction: Suffering’s Dead? 1 gra
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Part I: Suffering Liberalism 17 y -
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1 Incorporating the Victim 19 ver
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2 Theater of the Ascetic 45 Gill
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3 The Liberal Sensorium 73 d to
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Part II: Recuperating Materialism 95 ce
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4 The Labor of Suffering 97 o
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5 A Fetishism of Injuries 121 n
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6 The Tragic Art of Historical Materialists 143 av
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Notes 189 w.
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Bibliography 221 m
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Index 237 eri
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Acknowledgments
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To claim any ability to completely acknowledge the presences, visita- 20
tions, and availabilities that have necessitated and enabled this book ct -
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would be hypocritical and make for a bad epic poem. The shape and n
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existence of this work owes everything to the spaces and times within ve
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which it was thought, enacted, courted, loathed, and lived with. From algr
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home in Karachi, to the New School for Social Research, to the Penn- y -
sylvania State University, to Bard College at Simon’s Rock, the pro- ersit
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cession of this artifice (from the dissertation proposal to these proofs) ni
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includes my family, teachers, friends, comrades, and students. I hope Gill
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that my gratitude reaches those who are aware and those who are M
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unaware of this—unless I have done things completely wrong, this d t
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“front matter” cannot be the only way for them to get it. n
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Nancy Love has taught me to embrace blessings and curses, one m - li
as the other—a necessity haunting this work—and to quest for mem- o
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ory, hope, and meaning beyond our own privations. She, along with ect.
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John Christman, Daniel Conway, Holloway Sparks, Samuel Cham- o
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bers, James Miller, and Richard Lee fanned an unapologetic courtship av
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of the political as a question of being itself and made turning back al
p
w.
impossible. The personal and intellectual generosity of many more w
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teachers continues to charm my life. Beyond the confines of my home m
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institutions, many vocational political theorists took time and care for al fr
panels, conversations, comments, counsel, and encouragement that ateri
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profoundly impacted me as I clutched my project on suffering. For ht
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their care and counsel in bringing closure to this work, Sam Cham- yri
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bers, Gregg Horowitz, David Adams, and Leela Gandhi deserve pro- Co
found thanks.
The suspected and unsuspected complicities gathered along the
way became the most explicit occasion for this work and for me as
the teller of this story. I could not have hoped for a more vibrant and
endearing community of chosen fellow travelers, and want to thank
my friends who have made needful returns, joys, habitations, and
negations possible. Among many invaluable companions to whom I
am indebted, these folks catalyzed specific ideas, details, and torments
10.1057/9780230113541 - Liberalism and Human Suffering, Asma Abbas