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Politics Out of History
What happens to left and liberal political orientations when faith in progress is broken, when both the sovereign individual and sovereign states seem tenuous, when desire seems as likely to seek punishment as freedom, when all political conviction is revealed as contingent and subjective? Politics Out of History is animated by the question of how we navigate the contemporary political landscape when the traditional compass points of modernity have all but disappeared. Wendy Brown diagnoses a range of contemporary political tendencies--from moralistic high-handedness to low-lying political despair in politics, from the difficulty of formulating political alternatives to reproaches against theory in intellectual life--as the consequence of this disorientation.
Politics Out of History also presents a provocative argument for a new approach to thinking about history--one that forsakes the idea that history has a purpose and treats it instead as a way of illuminating openings in the present by, for example, identifying the haunting and constraining effects of past injustices unresolved. Brown also argues for a revitalized relationship between intellectual and political life, one that cultivates the autonomy of each while promoting their interlocutory potential. This book will be essential reading for all who find the trajectories of contemporary liberal democracies bewildering and are willing to engage readings of a range of thinkers--Freud, Marx, Nietzsche, Spinoza, Benjamin, Derrida--to rethink democratic possibility in our time.
Politics Out of History also presents a provocative argument for a new approach to thinking about history--one that forsakes the idea that history has a purpose and treats it instead as a way of illuminating openings in the present by, for example, identifying the haunting and constraining effects of past injustices unresolved. Brown also argues for a revitalized relationship between intellectual and political life, one that cultivates the autonomy of each while promoting their interlocutory potential. This book will be essential reading for all who find the trajectories of contemporary liberal democracies bewildering and are willing to engage readings of a range of thinkers--Freud, Marx, Nietzsche, Spinoza, Benjamin, Derrida--to rethink democratic possibility in our time.
184 pages, Paperback
First published August 6, 2001
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About the author
Wendy Brown
59 books334 followersWendy L. Brown is an American political theorist. She is Class of 1963 First Professor of Political Science and a core faculty member in The Program for Critical Theory at the University of California, Berkeley.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
February 24, 2025
'Politics Out of History' is a book that promises to deliver us from the weight of historical determinism, but instead, it seems to offer us a well-curated tour of the museum of lost causes. Wendy Brown invites us to reconsider the role of history in shaping political imagination, yet one can't help but feel that, rather than clearing a new path, she has laid out a series of elegant detours—scenic, yes, but ultimately circular.
Brown's prose is deft, her arguments thoughtful, but there's a certain irony in her attempt to liberate politics from the past while maintaining such a close relationship with its ghosts. It's as if she’s hosting a dinner party where the guests of honor are all long-dead philosophers, and while the conversation is stimulating, one begins to wonder: is there anyone here still alive?
The book navigates the tension between mourning and action, a dance of intellectual melancholy. And while the insights are sharp, there’s a lingering sense that Brown is hesitant to fully break with the past she critiques. It’s a delicate balance—one she maintains with grace—but perhaps too much grace. In seeking to move politics beyond history, she remains tethered to it, like a kite soaring beautifully yet never quite breaking free from the string.
Ultimately, 'Politics Out of History' is a work of profound reflection, but its very refinement betrays a reluctance to truly step into the wilds of the future. It’s an excellent read for those who enjoy the art of intellectual contemplation—just don’t expect it to tell you how to cut the cord.
Brown's prose is deft, her arguments thoughtful, but there's a certain irony in her attempt to liberate politics from the past while maintaining such a close relationship with its ghosts. It's as if she’s hosting a dinner party where the guests of honor are all long-dead philosophers, and while the conversation is stimulating, one begins to wonder: is there anyone here still alive?
The book navigates the tension between mourning and action, a dance of intellectual melancholy. And while the insights are sharp, there’s a lingering sense that Brown is hesitant to fully break with the past she critiques. It’s a delicate balance—one she maintains with grace—but perhaps too much grace. In seeking to move politics beyond history, she remains tethered to it, like a kite soaring beautifully yet never quite breaking free from the string.
Ultimately, 'Politics Out of History' is a work of profound reflection, but its very refinement betrays a reluctance to truly step into the wilds of the future. It’s an excellent read for those who enjoy the art of intellectual contemplation—just don’t expect it to tell you how to cut the cord.
March 19, 2025
Chapter 7 hit diff
October 1, 2010
maybe she's not saying anything new, but in light of how little i've read it was certainly fresh-sounding to me. i fucking loved her discussion on the pervasive moralism of the Left; i think it's a really prescient critique, which she chooses ('cause she's an academic) to lodge against leftist academics but i see that it's totally important to think about in the context of political organizing outside of universities. actually, i feel like she's mainly trying to rehabilitate leftist intellectualism, and i don't know whether that's just "ho-hum" or something actually problematic. let's chat!
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April 20, 2012And so began my love affair with Wendy Brown...
March 27, 2013
chapter 8 ("spectres and angels") on benjamin and derrida was really really good!!! aargh!!!
March 17, 2013
Pretty good but a bid more muddled than States of Injury.
Chapters 2 and 3 build on her arguments there and are very interesting and strongly argued.
Chapter 4 is a pretty 101 Marx critiques Marx (as strawman) argument. Chapter 5 is ok if you're into that sort of thing. Chapter 6 is pretty bad/boring.
Chapter 7 is awesome!
Chapters 2 and 3 build on her arguments there and are very interesting and strongly argued.
Chapter 4 is a pretty 101 Marx critiques Marx (as strawman) argument. Chapter 5 is ok if you're into that sort of thing. Chapter 6 is pretty bad/boring.
Chapter 7 is awesome!
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews