Although frequently invoked by philosophers and political theorists, the theory of negativity has received arguably little sustained attention. This text provides a full length study of this crucial problematic within philosophy and political theory. Diana Coole clearly shows how the problem of negativity lies at the heart of philosophical and political debate. Firstly, she explores the meaning of negativity as it appears in modern and postmodern thinking. Secondly, she sets out the significance of negativity for politics and our understanding of what constitutes the political. The first part of the book sets out an insightful reading of Kant’s Critique of Pure Reason , before moving on to a consideration of Hegelian dialectics. Diana Coole asks, in the light of Marxist and poststructuralist criticism, in what sense Hegel sustains negativity. In the second part of the book, she explores how well these Marxist and poststructuralist critics remain faithful to negativity. Throughout, she illustrates the importance of negativity in the thought of a number of key theorists, including Nietzsche’s theory of the will to power ; Adorno’s negative dialectics ; and Julia Kristeva’s gendering of the negative . There are also discussions of Freud, Foucault, Habermas, Deleuze, Derrida and Judith Butler and how these thinkers have responded to the challenge of negativity A key theme of Negativity and Politics is the recurring hostility between the dialectical use of negativity found in Hegel and running through Marxism and Critical Theory; and the Dionysian use of negativity as developed by Nietzsche and found in important strands of French thought. Diana Coole shows how the appropriation of negativity in both cases threatens but also informs our understanding of politics and the political. This book bold intervention in political theory and philosophy, Negativity and should be of interest to those in politics, philosophy and contemporary social theory.
