The Autonomy of the Political. Concept, Theory, Form

This booklet brings together four topical essays on the subject of autonomy and the concept of the political in twentieth century political philosophy, which were presented at a conference at the former Jan van Eyck Academie in 2011. The booklet makes for a very good introduction to a specialised debate with essays by Sara Farris, Dario Gentili, Elettra Stimilli, and Tracy B. Strong. It is presented with a general conceptual introduction by the editors Nathaniel Boyd and Michele Filippini, and followed by a visual exploration of the concept by Luisa Lorenza Corna who is also responsible for the design of the booklet. The essays cover a broad range of subjects, from the Italian workerist tradition (with a particular emphasis on Mario Tronti) to Agamben, the Schmitt/Kojève debate, to a philosophical interrogation of the autonomy of the political more generally. Anyone with a keen interest in this subject will find the booklet a valuable edition, a source of varied thoughts and reflections on the autonomy of the political and its tradition, as well as a critical engagement with its figures and ideas.