Kathleen Davis

what it says on the cover. VERY useful exploration of the development of the concept of 'feudalism' in German, French, and English jurists, and how the split of the modern from the medieval functions as a sovereign 'miracle' a la Carl Schmitt. Slavery becomes Europe's past, which authorizes it for the present in those parts of the world that are still 'medieval.' Thus the era of colonialism becomes an era of becoming present (for Europe) and moving into the past (for the European encounter with the rest of the world).

Given that so many folks just go to Agamben for their sovereignty arguments, it's VERY good to have someone who's done the work to read Schmitt's Political Theology.

Finishes in a way not unlike the end of Benjamin's 'Critique of Violence'… (meer)