POLITICALMONSTERS · Political Teratology. The Monster as political concept in the Early Modern Age

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Project objective

In this research I intend to focus on the phenomenon of the monster within European political philosophy between the half of 16th century up to the end of 17th century. The primary objective of the research is the construction of the concept of political teratology.My purpose is to reconstruct the debate on monsters on the specific field of political philosophy. On one hand, 'conservative' authors, who employ the metaphor of monster to blame the 'others'. On the other hand the authors who raise the question of a positive concept of 'free monstruosity' which depart from the norm of representation and its judgment.We move in this way from the study of the game of metaphors towards the construction of a theoretical concept from which it will be probably possible to think about history of political modernity and its foundations.The first stage of the research is a theoretical construction of a model to be used to interpret the different functions of the metaphor of the monster through:- The analytical construction of a set of concrete political metaphores as well as the critical study of the concept of metaphor in political philosophy;- A reading of the literature in the various philosophical domains dealing with the metaphor and the concept of monsters;- The theoretical definition of the use of metaphors and concept of the monster. The results to be obtained with this research could be used as useful theoretical instruments for a new problematics concerning the relationship between social institution s and political logic of affects.The expected outcomes could lead to a revival of the classic problem of the relationship between individual and community, towards a new conception of singularity.This project is a research in history of philosophy as much as a conceptual melting pot of political theory where to forge some concepts of major importance for contemporary sociology, political theory and moral philosophy.

Original text from CORDIS.

Participants

• UNIVERSITÉ DE PICARDIE - JULES VERNE · AMIENSCoordinatorFrance
• OCCIDENTAL COLLEGE · LOS ANGELESCity levelUnited States

Links

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