MACMILLAN Animality in Contemporary Italian Philosophy (The Palgrave Macmillan Animal Ethics Series)

This volume provides an overview of contemporary Italian philosophy from the perspective of animality. Its rationale rests on two main premises: the great topicality of both Italian contemporary philosophy (the so-called “Italian Theory”) and of the animal question (the so-called “animal turn” in the humanities and the social sciences) in the contemporary philosophical panorama. The volume not only intersects these two axes, illuminating Italian Theory through the animal question, but also proposes an original thesis: that the animal question is a central and founding issue of contemporary Italian philosophy. It combines historical-descriptive chapters with analyses of the theme in several philosophical branches, such as biopolitics, Posthumanism, Marxism, Feminism, Antispeciesism and Theology, and with original contributions by renowned authors of contemporary Italian (animal) philosophy. The volume is both historical-descriptive and speculative and is intended for a broad academic audience, embracing both Italian studies and Animal studies at all levels. Review “A number of superb essays that articulate a distinctively Italian philosophical approach to animal issues and animal studies. For those readers who come to animal philosophy primarily through Anglo-American analytic philosophy … or through Continental-style animal studies … this volume should be of serious interest – for not only does the Italian tradition explored here anticipate and intersect with major themes in both traditions, it also introduces novel themes and concepts that are important for considering the future of animal studies.” (Matthew Calarco, Animal Studies Journal, Vol. 10 (2), 2021) “Animality in Contemporary Italian Philosophy is in fact an important contribution as it introduces a large international audience to authors, ideas, and practices that have characterised (and still characterise) Italian thought, both challenging and enriching the current hegemonic discourses on animal ethics.” (Damiano Benvegnù, Italian Studies, Vol. 76 (3), 2021) From the Back Cover This volume provides an overview of contemporary Italian philosophy from the perspective of animality. Its rationale rests on two main premises: the great topicality of both Italian contemporary philosophy (the so-called “Italian Theory”) and of the animal question (the so-called “animal turn” in the humanities and the social sciences) in the contemporary philosophical panorama. The volume not only intersects these two axes, illuminating Italian Theory through the animal question, but also proposes an original thesis: that the animal question is a central and founding issue of contemporary Italian philosophy. It combines historical-descriptive chapters with analyses of the theme in several philosophical branches, such as biopolitics, Posthumanism, Marxism, Feminism, Antispeciesism and Theology, and with original contributions by renowned authors of contemporary Italian (animal) philosophy. The volume is both historical-descriptive and speculative and is intended for a broad academic audience, embracing both Italian studies and Animal studies at all levels. About the Author   Felice Cimatti is Full Professor in Philosophy of Language and Mind at the University of Calabria, Italy.   Carlo Salzani is Guest Scholar at the Messerli Research Institute of the University of Vienna, Austria.