Rowman & Littlefield Publishers The Corporeal Turn: Passion, Necessity, Politics

In The Corporeal Turn, John Tambornino offers a thorough rethinking of ethical and political theory by emphasizing human embodiment, and the primacy of passion and need, in response to the neglect of these matters in much of contemporary thought. Tambornino calls for a 'corporeal turn' or, as he explains, sustained attention to human embodiment―something that is often occluded when priority is given to reason or language. Working through a diverse set of thinkers, exploring such themes as necessity and freedom, need and desire, nature and convention, and public and private, and noting vivid instances of politicized embodiment, Tambornino takes seriously Nietzsche's claim that philosophy has largely been an interpretation and a misunderstanding of the body. The result is nothing less than a new orientation to ethical and political theory―one that appreciates the complex relations of language, culture, politics, and corporeality―and a powerful intervention into these domains. Review Artfully arranged. . . . Lucid and thoughtful portraits.--Perspectives on Politics Whatever else it might be, a regime is a regulation of the hands and feet, eyes and mouths of its subjects. John Tambornino employs this insight so as to problematize political theory's perennial topics--liberty and right, order and individuality. And, while the issue of the body is not a new one for political theory, Tambornino's take is fresh and thoughtful. Following the "body" politic from Nietzsche to Charles Taylor, this book will challenge and delight all comers to "the corporeal turn."--Stephen Schneck, The Catholic University of America "In The Corporeal Turn, John Tambornino continues the all-important archaeological work of unearthing the body from its burial beneath layers of political history. By so doing, he not only restores the body to the center of analysis it had occupied in an earlier history of political thought, but helps to restore to political theory possibilities for understanding a range of political and cultural phenomena otherwise opaque to us."--Morton Schoolman, SUNY Albany In this book, John Tambornino brings the body back in to politics and political theory by staging a fascinating exchange among four key thinkers rarely brought together: Hannah Arendt, Charles Taylor, Friedrich Nietzsche, and Stuart Hampshire. The result? A masterful set of readings, set among illuminating examples from the contemporary scene, and an effective materialist counter (that is also indebted, never merely opposed) to the 'linguistic turn.'--Bonnie Honig, Northwestern University Tambornino provides far more than an interpretation of a submerged theme in an unusual group of philosophers. He calls for a new orientation toward political theorizing, one which attends to the complexity of embodiment. He thinks deeply and writes eloquently, and this book is likely to receive considerable attention.--Nancy S. Love, Pennsylvania State University About the Author John Tambornino is a fellow at the Washington Center for the Study of American Government at Johns Hopkins University.