Hannah Arendt: A Reinterpretation of her Political Thought

by Margaret Canovan

Margaret Canovan argues in this book that much of the published work on Arendt has been flawed by serious misunderstandings, arising from a failure to see her work in its proper context. The author shows how such misunderstanding was possible, and offers a fundamental reinterpretation, drawing on Arendt's unpublished as well as her published work, which sheds new light on most areas of her thought.

Genres: Philosophy, Politics

312 pages, Paperback

First published August 28, 1992

Reviews

[Anu · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brilliant reinterpretation. One of the most insightful and useful pieces of political commentary I have ever read. Canovan revists all of Arendt's work, providing new insight and context in her analysis - her writing on Arendt's thoughts on Marx is particularly great. I think this book is a must read for all those who have been easily dismissive of Arendt's arguements. I read this (kind of) in tandem with "On Revolution" and found it particularly helpful. If you are familiar with political theory, you will know Arendt is unlike most political thinkers: you must consider all her works when reading her, but not in the same way you would the classical thinkers. For example, her "The Human Condition" should not be considered an analysis on human nature, but it should still be considered when reading her other works. And, I think, it is also useful to consider reading through the lens of totalitarianism when looking at her work- how does her political theory coincide with her thoughts on tyranny and totalitarianism? If you have read Arendt before, but never have asked yourself that question, perhaps you should revist her. Or at least read this.

[Roy · Rating 4 out of 5]

An engaging analysis of the lifework of Hannah Arendt. It is not an introduction to Arendt's work. The reader should have read the the major works of Arendt: Totalitarianism, Human Condition, Life of the Mind, and On Revolution.
The great value of the book, to me anyway, was the information that the author presents from Arendt's unpublished manuscripts. The argument the author makes is very strong. Arendt's work revolves around the idea that "politics goes on among plural persons with space between them." (281) Political philosophy has missed this fundamental fact.
My reservations abut the book are two: first, I do not believe the author has given the proper wieght to the influence of Rosa Luxemburg's works on Arendt, and, second, the non sequitur footnote (p. 215) claiming "If Arendt had applied her ideas about, action, freedom, plurality and consent to economics, she might have come up with ideas similar to those expressed in Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged."
One of the weaknesses of Arendt's oeuvre is the lack of analysis of socio-economic factors. But, even given that, she doesn't need to be compared with Rand.
Nonetheless, I recommend this book. It contains valuable information on the complexity of Arendt's thought which the author successfully demonstrates.