Universality as a Historical-Political Problem
On the Limits of Buck-Morss’ Conceptualisation of Universality
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 12643136 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Tomas Wedin (0000-0001-5083-4546, Halmstad University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2024 |
| Volume | 25 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 153-167 |
| Publication date | 2024-04-02 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Critical Horizons (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1440-9917 • E-ISSN: 1568-5160 |
| Publisher | Taylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/14409917.2024.2329534 |
| OpenAlex | W4395028414 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 31 |
The present article revolves around the notion of universality and its relation to freedom and temporal orientation in contemporary political thought, with a focus on Susan Buck-Morss' notion of universality. The purpose is twofold. Firstly, I discern and critique the historico-political premises of her approach. Secondly, I suggest an alternative historico-political approach to universality addressing the drawbacks of her approach. I present three objections to her approach. Drawing on Arendt's distinction between liberation and the practice of freedom, I first present a critique of the conceptualisation of freedom on which Buck-Morss' approach hinges, arguing that she overemphasises the moment of liberation. Thereafter, I turn to her reflections on historical orientation. My third objection concentrates on Buck-Morss' concept of universality. As a heuristic tool to expound on my critique, I activate the distinction between fictive and ideal universality as suggested by Étienne Balibar. I contend that Arendt's distinction between liberation and the practice of freedom efficiently elucidates the questions at stake in Balibar's discussion, as well as how his distinction points to the limits of Buck-Morss' argumentation. Ultimately, I contend that these critical remarks open up for a more dialectical approach to universality as a historical-political problem
Argumentation theory · Dialectic · Epistemology · Physics · Political science · Politics · Sociology · Universality (dynamical systems · Hannah Arendt's Political Philosophy · Law · Philosophy · Political Philosophy and Ethics · Political Theology and Sovereignty
De la Connaissance historique
The Spirit of Democracy
La haine de la démocratie
The Content of the Form
Futures Past
Two liberal traditions
Political Philosophy versus History?
The Attack of the Blob
Universality and Identity Politics
La démocratie contre elle-même
The Human Condition
Ancient equality against modern democracy
Hegel, Haiti and revolution
The political philosophy of Hannah Arendt
The dialectics of seeing
The Ethics of Interpretation in Political Theory and Intellectual History
Foucault on Freedom and Truth
Political Theory as Both Philosophy and History
So Much the Worse for the Whites
Social Acceleration
The Gift of the Past
Learning from History
Ambiguous Universality
History and Catastrophe
Hegel, Haiti, and Universal History
| Unique citing works | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,33 |
| Citation span | 2023 - 2023 (1) |
| Citation velocity | historical |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 1 |