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On the Shores of Politics

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( 214 ratings, 16 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
On the Shores of Politics by Jacques Rancière is a thought-provoking exploration of the nature of politics and democratic life. Rancière examines the relationship between politics, democracy, and the distribution of power, challenging traditional views by proposing that true democracy is a dynamic and emancipatory force. The book delves into how political thought and action can disrupt established orders and advocate for equality and justice.
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Format: Paperback / softback
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This book may appeal to you if you're intrigued by the intersection of politics and philosophy and enjoy exploring profound questions about democracy, ideology, and power dynamics. Jacques Rancière's insights offer a thought-provoking examination of political structures and the role of dissent, challenging conventional perspectives and inspiring readers to rethink the foundations of political thought. If you appreciate nuanced analyses and deep philosophical discussions, this work promises to engage and stimulate your intellect.

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Gives politics the following meaning: the organization of dissent.

Returning politics to its original and necessary meaning: the organization of dissent

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

It is frequently said that we are living through the end of politics, the end of social upheavals, the end of utopian folly. Consensual realism is the order of the day. But political realists, remarks Jacques Rancière, are always several steps behind reality, and the only thing which may come to an end with their dominance is democracy.

We could, he suggests, merely smile at the duplicity of the conclusion/suppression of politics which is simultaneously a suppression/conclusion of philosophy. This is precisely the task that Rancière undertakes in these subtle and perceptive essays.

He argues persuasively that since Plato and Aristotle, politics has always constructed itself as the art of ending politics, that realism is itself utopian, and that what has succeeded the polemical forms of class struggle is not the wisdom of a new millennium but the return of old fears, criminality, and chaos.

Whether he is discussing the confrontation between Mitterrand and Chirac, French working-class discourse after the 1830 revolution, or the ideology of recent student mobilisations, his aim is to restore philosophy to politics and give politics back its original and necessary meaning: the organisation of dissent.

Series: Radical Thinkers

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Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Rancière's writings in On the Shores of Politics provide a coherent framework for understanding persistent resistance. Slavoj Zizek highlights the insightful exploration of political dynamics that challenge conventional thoughts on resistance and democracy.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781844675777

Publisher: Verso Books

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 17 January 2007

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Verso Books

Contributors:

  • Translated by Liz Heron

Audience: Tertiary education

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 10.0mm

Width: 132.0mm

Height: 198.0mm

Weight: 150g

Pages: 116

About the Author

Jacques Rancière is Emeritus Professor of Philosophy at the University of Paris-VIII. His books include The Politics of Aesthetics, On the Shores of Politics, Short Voyages to the Land of the People, The Nights of Labor, Staging the People, and The Emancipated Spectator.

Also by Jacques Rancière

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  • Hatred of Democracy
    In this vehement defence of democracy, Jacques Rancière explodes the complacency of Western politicians who pride themselves as the defenders of political freedom. As America and its allies use their military might in the misguided attempt to export a desiccated version of democracy, and reactionary strands in mainstream political opinion abandon civil liberties, Rancière argues that true democracy—government by all—is...
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  • The Emancipated Spectator
    The Emancipated Spectator by Jacques Rancière addresses the complex relationship between the viewer and the artwork, questioning the longstanding notion that spectators are passive observers. The book delves into the efforts of modern artists and thinkers who strive to transform the act of viewing into a participatory and engaging experience, turning passive spectators into active participants and reimagining the spectacle...
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  • Althusser's Lesson
    Jacques Rancière's first major work, Althusser's Lesson, appeared in 1974, just as the energies of May '68 were losing ground to the calls for a return to order. Rancière's analysis of Althusserian Marxism unfolds against this background: what is the relationship between the return to order and the enthusiasm which greeted the publication of Althusser's Reply to John Lewis in...
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  • Distant Freedom
    Chekhov’s short stories offer a subtle yet powerful message: that there is potential for change in our lives. Contrary to the image of a desolate soul, they reveal Chekhov as a beacon of hope and freedom. His narratives delve into the very essence of time, juxtaposing the relentless monotony of servitude with the glimmering moments that fracture this cycle, hinting...
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  • Rethinking Emancipation
    Faced with growing inequalities and new forms of domination and exploitation, can the movement of emancipation take on a new life today, or has it been arrested by the powers of repression and normalization? In order to address this question, Jacques Rancière pays close attention to the sociopolitical rhythms of our time, listening for the figures of trembling and oscillation...
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  • The Edges of Fiction
    What distinguishes fiction from ordinary experience is not a lack of reality but a surfeit of rationality – this was the thesis of Aristotle’s Poetics. The rationality of fiction is that appearances are inverted. Fiction overturns the ordinary course of events that occur one after the other, aiming to show how the unexpected arises, happiness transforms into unhappiness, and ignorance...
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  • The Method of Equality
    The development of Rancière’s philosophical work, from his formative years through the political and methodological break with Louis Althusser and the lessons of May 68, is documented here, as are the confrontations with other thinkers, the controversies and occasional misunderstandings. So too are the unity of his work and the distinctive style of his thinking, despite the frequent disconnect between...
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  • Politics and Aesthetics
    In this book, the influential philosopher Jacques Rancière, in discussion with Peter Engelmann, explores the enduring connection between politics and aesthetics, arguing that aesthetics forms the fundamental basis for social and political upheaval. Beginning from his rejection of structuralist Marxism, Rancière outlines the development of his thought from his early studies on workers’ emancipation to his recent work on literature,...
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