Force of Nonviolence: An Ethico-Political Bind

Judith Butler's new book argues that nonviolence is an ethical position found in the midst of the political field, and that an aggressive form of nonviolence accepts that hostility is part of our psychic constitution but values ambivalence as a way of checking the conversion of aggression into violence. However, there is a difference of opinion on what counts as violence and nonviolence, and Butler draws upon Foucault, Fanon, Freud, and Benjamin to consider how the interdiction against violence fails to include lives regarded as ungrievable. The struggle for nonviolence is found in movements for social transformation that reframe the grievability of lives in light of social equality.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 224 pages
Publication date: 09 February 2021
Publisher: Verso Books

Judith Butler's latest book delves into the interconnectedness of nonviolence with the broader political struggle for social equality. It challenges the common misconception that nonviolence is solely a passive practice or an individualistic ethical relation to existing power structures. Instead, Butler argues that nonviolence is a situated ethical position within the political realm. An aggressive form of nonviolence recognizes hostility as an inherent part of human psychology but values ambivalence as a means to prevent the transformation of aggression into violence.

One contemporary challenge to a politics of nonviolence arises from differing opinions on what constitutes violence and nonviolence. This distinction can be utilized to reinforce the state's monopoly on violence. Butler's work draws upon the insights of Foucault, Fanon, Freud, and Benjamin to examine how the prohibition against violence excludes lives deemed ungrievable. By analyzing how racial phantasms inform justifications of state and administrative violence, Butler traces how violence is often attributed to those who bear the greatest consequences of its lethal effects.

The struggle for nonviolence is embedded within movements for social transformation that redefine the worth of lives in the context of social equality. These movements derive their ethical principles from an understanding of the interconnectedness of life, which forms the foundation of social and political equality. By embracing nonviolence as a political and ethical imperative, individuals and communities can work towards a more just and peaceful world.

Weight: 188g
Dimension: 129 x 198 x 18 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781788732772