Giorgio Agamben [Paperback]

Giorgio Agamben is one of the most important and controversial figures in contemporary continental philosophy and critical theory. His work covers a broad array of topics from biblical criticism to Guantanamo Bay and the war on terror.

Alex Murray explains Agambens key ideas, including:

• an overview of his work from first publication to the present
• clear analysis of Agambens philosophy of language and life
• theories of ethics and witnessing
• the relationship between Agambens political writing and his work on aesthetics and poetics.

Investigating the relationship between politics, language, literature, aesthetics and ethics, this guide is essential reading for anyone wishing to understand the complex nature of modern political and cultural formations.

Acknowledgements  Why Agamben?  Key Ideas  1. Language and the Negativity of Being  2. Infancy and Archaeological Method  3. Potentiality and the Task of the Coming Philosophy  4. Politics  Bare Life and Sovereign Power  5. The Homeland of Gesture  Art and Cinema  6. The Laboratory of Literature  7. Bearing Witness and Messianic Time   After Agamben  Further Reading  Works Cited