The Politics of the Governed: Reflections on Popular Politics in Most of the World.
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pragmatic notion that Ellis strives for within Kant’s political theory, finds a philosophical and ideological barrier. This notion of freedom stands in flagrant opposition to other notions of freedom as being specifically part of politics (Arendt, H. The Human Condition). For Kant freedom provides the essential ingredient to the strength of disinterested publicity and its use of reasoned thought. As Kant himself states; ‘that a public should enlighten itself is more possible; indeed this is almost inevitable, if only it is left its freedom’ (Kant, What is Enlightenment?). Thus freedom in a Kantian sense is the freedom given by the ruler(s) to their subjects, ‘to make public use of their reason’ (p.16). Ellis chooses not to recognize Arendt’s key concept in political theory — ‘The raison d’etre of politics is freedom, and its field of experience is action’ (Arendt, H. Between Past and Future). Thus Arendt demonstrates the impotence of Kant’s theory of freedom in the political realm. Despite my reservations surrounding Kant’s notion of freedom in the political realm, this book is a thoroughly researched and stunning contribution to neo-Kantian literature. Ellis has not only provided a fresh perspective on Kant, but has also stamped her opinion on the debate surrounding liberal democratic theories of citizenship and deliberative democracy more broadly. Those interested in deliberative democracy, the institution of publicity and the public realm, neo-Kantian political theory, or simply looking for an introduction to Kant’s politics would be well served to consider Kant’s Politics: Provisional Theory for an Uncertain World . Ellis is to be congratulated for being co-awarded the ‘First Book Award’ 2006 from the Foundations of Political Theory section of the American Political Science Association recently held in Philadelphia, USA. Alex Karolis University of Canberra, Australia
The Politics of the Governed: Reflections on Popular Politics in Most of the World. Partha Chatterjee Columbia University Press, New York, 2004, 173pp. ISBN: 0 231 13063 5. Contemporary Political Theory (2008) 7, 114–119. doi:10.1057/palgrave.cpt.9300318
This book is an original and important contribution to understanding movements of the excluded in postcolonial societies. The concrete discussion is mainly of India, but the potential relevance is broader, particularly in the Contemporary Political Theory 2008 7
Book Reviews
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postcolonial world. The majority of the book consists of a series of lectures and related pieces on the formation of ‘political society’, with a few additional short pieces on globalization, the ‘war on terror’ and urban cleansing bringing the book to its current length. The book is necessary reading for understanding how the excluded, often operating outside illegality, sometimes obtain a voice in modern states, though there are some problems with how Chatterjee conceives the relationship between social movements and the state. The central thesis presented in the book is the existence of what Chatterjee terms ‘p
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