The Political Thought of Jacques Rancire

Equality is not something that we must expect from state institutions. It is something that we must both presuppose and create through collective action. Todd May investigates in depth the philosophical grounds, ethical implications and practical consequences of the view of active equality. Much more than a commentary, his book is a powerful analysis of what politics means and how we can recover the project of political action. -- Jacques Ranciere Todd May's book is a powerful argument in favor of an active, egalitarian politics that takes its inspiration from the tradition of "communist anarchy" and the work of Jacques Ranciere. It navigates adeptly and intelligently between some of the most significant developments in 'analytic political philosophy' since the 1970s (Rawls, Nozick, Sen, etc.) and the avant-garde of French critical theory since the 1960s (Foucault, Deleuze, Levinas, Ranciere, etc.). Unlike other such attempts, and in spite of his own allegiances to the latter tradition, May takes the time to carefully analyze and explicate the work he criticizes, which he usefully groups together under the heading of 'passive equality.' Moreover, May's clear writing style and analytic acumen allow him to draw on many of the strong points in contemporary French thought without slipping into a hermetic jargon of authenticity. -- Gabriel Rockhill, Villanova University Equality is not something that we must expect from state institutions. It is something that we must both presuppose and create through collective action. Todd May investigates in depth the philosophical grounds, ethical implications and practical consequences of the view of active equality. Much more than a commentary, his book is a powerful analysis of what politics means and how we can recover the project of political action. Todd May's book is a powerful argument in favor of an active, egalitarian politics that takes its inspiration from the tradition of "communist anarchy" and the work of Jacques Ranciere. It navigates adeptly and intelligently between some of the most significant developments in 'analytic political philosophy' since the 1970s (Rawls, Nozick, Sen, etc.) and the avant-garde of French critical theory since the 1960s (Foucault, Deleuze, Levinas, Ranciere, etc.). Unlike other such attempts, and in spite of his own allegiances to the latter tradition, May takes the time to carefully analyze and explicate the work he criticizes, which he usefully groups together under the heading of 'passive equality.' Moreover, May's clear writing style and analytic acumen allow him to draw on many of the strong points in contemporary French thought without slipping into a hermetic jargon of authenticity.