The Materiality of Politics: Volume 1

Download or read book The Materiality of Politics: Volume 1 written by Ranabir Samaddar and published by Anthem Press. This book was released on 2007-08-01 with total page 273 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: ‘The Materiality of Politics’ uses a series of historical illustrations to reveal the physicality and underlying ‘materiality’ of political processes. Volume 1, subtitled ‘The Technologies of Rule’ discusses the techniques of modern rule which form the basis of the post-colonial Indian state. Beginning with the rule of law, the volume analyses the nature and manifestations of constitutional rule, the relation between law and terror and the construction of ‘extraordinary’ sovereign power. The author also investigates the methods of care, protection, segregation and stabilization by which rule proceeds. In the processes, the material core of the ‘cultural’ and the ‘aesthetic’ is exposed.