A Post-Western Account of Critical Cosmopolitan Social Theory: Being and Acting in a Democratic World

Michael Murphy argues that cosmopolitanism requires a process of critique and cooperation to remain critical and relevant. He proposes understanding the encounter with the Other as a mutual phase of development and engaging in conversation with global traditions of relational sociologies to provide a radical account of being and acting in the world. This focuses on injustices and the everyday life, revealing an independent source for political legitimacy and a post-individual account of agency as an enactive being. The main themes of the book are eurocentrism, critical cosmopolitanism, post-individual subjectivity, and democracy.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 222 pages
Publication date: 15 September 2023
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield

In his book, Michael Murphy makes a compelling argument that cosmopolitanism must evolve beyond grand projects and instead embrace a critical and collaborative process. At the intercultural exchange level, this entails recognizing the encounter with the Other as a shared phase of development, with the potential to revitalize global philosophies. This transformative process emerges through a dialogue between global traditions of relational sociology, addressing common concerns.

The second stage of the book applies this methodology to offer a radical perspective on being and acting in the world. Through engaging with the works of critical theorist Gerard Delanty, decolonial theorist Walter Mignolo, and Buddhist, Confucian, and phenomenological influences, Murphy challenges abstract ideals and focuses on injustices and everyday life. This approach reveals an independent source of political legitimacy, detached from state rationality and Western philosophy ideals. Furthermore, the investigation unveils a post-individual account of agency as an enactive being, emphasizing agency's transformation and potential to reimagine the relationship between the self and democratic institutions.

The book's central themes include eurocentrism, critical cosmopolitanism, post-individual subjectivity, and democracy. Murphy's insightful analysis and thought-provoking ideas offer a valuable contribution to the ongoing discourse on cosmopolitanism and its relevance in the contemporary world. By fostering critique and cooperation, cosmopolitanism can continue to evolve and respond to the complex challenges of our globalized era.

Weight: 349g
Dimension: 230 x 153 x 17 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781538149935