Description: "Despite his significant influence across the humanities, Cavell's work has attracted little attention from political theorists. This book addresses that gap by explicating the political dimensions of his thought and placing it in conversation with contemporary debates within the discipline, focusing on the challenge of post-truth politics"--
Brief description: Jonathan Havercroft is a Professor in the Department of Politics and International Relations at the University of Southampton. He has published articles in British Journal of Political Science, Political Theory, International Studies Quarterly and Constellations and his essay 'Why is there no just riot theory?' won the 2020 Brian Barry prize for best essay in political science. He is the author of Captives of Sovereignty (Cambridge University Press, 2011).
Review Quotes: 'Jonathan Havercroft's fine monograph offers the first systematic account of Stanley Cavell's contribution to democratic thought, buttressed by chapter-length discussions of Cavell's methodology, of his conception of democratic consensus, and of the political import of his analyses of tragedy and film. As Havercroft deftly demonstrates, all of these are tied together by - and expressions of - a commitment to an ethos of democratic responsiveness, one that is uniquely situated to address the 'post truth' politics of our time.' Andrew Norris, Author of Becoming Who We Are: Politics and Practical Philosophy in the Work of Stanley Cavell