| Vulnerability, violence and (cosmopolitan) ethics: Butler's Precarious Life. | |
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MedLine Citation:
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PMID: 16506997 Owner: NLM Status: MEDLINE |
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
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This article proposes that Butler's Precarious Life: The Powers of Mourning and Violence provides a valuable contribution to the sociology of cosmopolitanism on the basis of a perspective which forcefully addresses the new sovereign power of the USA which reneges on the possibilities of cosmopolitanization by means of resurgent nationalism, extra-legal modalities of militarization and incarceration ('the new war prison') and state powers now integrated into normalized practices of everyday governmentality. Butler's Foucauldian approach to power and subjectivity is contrasted with Beck's understanding of self-reflexivity in cosmopolitanized society. Butler's feminist-inspired approach to mourning and grief and her account of vulnerability and violence also encourage a response to recent acts of terrorism and subsequent wars by means of an ethics of non-violence. Drawing on the Levinasian concept of 'the face' Butler explores the obligation posed by 'the face' to refuse violent confrontation. The article suggests a sociological reading of Butler's ethical account which throws light on issues pertinent to the cosmopolitanization thesis, through an interrogation of the relations of power and powerlessness which underlie encounters with otherness. |
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Authors:
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Angela McRobbie |
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Publication Detail:
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Type: Journal Article; Review |
Journal Detail:
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Title: The British journal of sociology Volume: 57 ISSN: 0007-1315 ISO Abbreviation: Br J Sociol Publication Date: 2006 Mar |
Date Detail:
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Created Date: 2006-03-01 Completed Date: 2006-04-26 Revised Date: 2006-06-30 |
Medline Journal Info:
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Nlm Unique ID: 0373126 Medline TA: Br J Sociol Country: England |
Other Details:
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Languages: eng Pagination: 69-86 Citation Subset: IM |
Affiliation:
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Department of Media and Communications, Goldsmith's College. angela.mcrobbie@gold.ac.uk |
Export Citation:
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| MeSH Terms | |
Descriptor/Qualifier:
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Ethical Theory* Government Grief Humans Internationality Life* Power (Psychology) Violence* Vulnerable Populations* |
| Comments/Corrections | |
Erratum In:
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Br J Sociol. 2006 Jun;57(2):338 |
From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine
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