Political Action Beyond Resistance: Arendt and “Revolutionary Spirit” in Egypt

The real promise of federalism: A case study of Arendt’s international thought

“…We must also note that, though fiercely resistant to establishing politics in natural and quasi-natural criteria, Arendt (1998: 50–58) emphasizes a politically engaged care for the world in which individuals act and attain their public identities. By highlighting a rootedness solidified through public remembrance and organized communities, Arendt’s thinking differs from the poststructuralist rendition of subjectivity in which individuals have no agency over their identity construction (Hyvönen, 2016: 201–205; Lang, 2005: 223; Villa, 1992). That said, Arendt would undoubtedly find problematic the overly deterministic aspect of mainstream international theories arguing that no central authority exists among sovereign states and that this immutable anarchic status of international politics brings states into constant security competition (Baehr, 2010: 14–26; Barder and McCourt, 2010; Williams, 2005: 6).…”