This book is a philosophical essay on the sun. It draws on Georges Bataille’s theories of the solar economy and solar violence and demonstrates their relevance to a world affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change. The sun, which, since Antiquity, has played an essential role in our utopian imaginations, is the ultimate source of energy, both productive and destructive. According to Georges Bataille, its infinite generosity can be taken as the model for human societies, which suggests an alternative to the capitalist economy with its infinite expansion, colonization, and disastrous consequences on the cosmic scale. Taking a step from solar economy to solar politics, Timofeeva locates the grounds for it in solidarity with nature, treated neither as a master nor as a slave, but as a comrade. The book will appeal to students, academics, artists, and other readers interested in the philosophy of nature, ecology, social and political theory, postcolonial and decolonial studies, and the humanities generally.
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Acknowledgements Introduction: Two suns and the city 1. Two kinds of violence 2. General economy 3. Restrictive violence of capital Conclusion:  Sun is a comrade Notes
“What is needed today are books that combine the lesson of poststructuralism (historical character of our knowledge, its dependence on a social and linguistic context) with a robust approach to nature. In short, what is needed are books like Oxana Timofeeva’s Solar Politics, which combines the analysis of sun as a planetary phenomenon, both constructive and destructive, with an inquiry into the complex metaphoric dimension of the signifier ‘sun.’ This book is not just a book…, it is THE book we have been waiting for.”Slavoj Žižek, University of Ljubljana
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Produktdetaljer

ISBN
9781509549658
Publisert
2022-02-04
Utgiver
Vendor
Polity Press
Vekt
156 gr
Høyde
188 mm
Bredde
125 mm
Dybde
11 mm
Aldersnivå
P, 06
Språk
Product language
Engelsk
Format
Product format
Heftet
Antall sider
140

Forfatter

Biographical note

Oxana Timofeeva is a Professor at the European University at St. Petersburg, a lead researcher at Tyumen State University, and a member of the artistic collective Chto Delat