University of Toronto Press Politics As Radical Creation: Herbert Marcuse and Hannah Arendt on Political Performativity

Politics as Radical Creation examines the meaning of democratic practice through the critical social theory of the Frankfurt School. It provides an understanding of democratic politics as a potentially performative good-in-itself, undertaken not just to the extent that it seeks to achieve a certain extrinsic goal, but also in that it functions as a medium for the expression of creative human impulses. Christopher Holman develops this potential model through a critical examination of the political philosophies of Herbert Marcuse and Hannah Arendt. Holman argues that, while Arendt and Marcuse's respective theorizations each ultimately restrict the potential scope of creative human expression, their juxtaposition - which has not been previously explored - results in a more comprehensive theory of democratic existence, one that is uniquely able to affirm the creative capacities of the human being. Yielding important theoretical results that will interest scholars of each theorist and of theories of democracy more generally, Politics as Radical Creation provides a valuable means for rethinking the nature of contemporary democratic practice. Review 'Politics as Radical Creation consists of rigorous interpretations of texts by Marcuse and Arendt, that bring out the richness of these texts and suggest promising possibilities for further connections between critical theory and Arendt's political thinking.' - Michiel Bot - Political Theory June 2016 'Holman's is a compelling and important project... with its timely rich analysis of the parallels between Arendt and Marcuse, Holman's book is well positioned to inspire and propel forward such work.' - Jennie Han - Theory and Event vol 17:03:2014 About the Author Christopher Holman is an assistant professor in the Public Policy and Global Affairs program at Nanyang Technological University.