Experiencing the International Space: Hannah Arendt on Reality, History and Plurality

This chapter seeks to reconstruct the main qualifying characteristics of the notion of international space Arendt derived from her intellectual analysis and existential experience, and that (implicitly and explicitly) informs her political theorizing. Without aiming at providing either an exhaustive review of the many international issues she addressed in her writings or a critical scrutiny of the consistency of her conceptualizations, this chapter argues that she delineates a notion of international space that is neither the simple reflection of what exists nor the simple product of an idea(l). Rather, it is conceived as a demanding dimension that can be safeguarded and kept alive by human action only if its constitutive relationships with reality, history, and plurality are preserved. This is one of the most important contributions Arendt’s thought offers to the contemporary debate on the theory and practice of the international.