First & Last Emperors: The Absolute State and the Body of the Despot (Autonomedia New Autonomy)

An anarchist theory of the state through a study of two contrasting state formations at opposite ends of the historical continuum, the First Dynasty of China and Reagan/Bush America. Theorizes the state in terms of a tension between two formative tendencies which always co-function in different mixtures, one toward transcendence and the other toward becoming-immanent to the social field. Two examples at different extremes of the spectrum are studied perspective: the unification of China under the Qin Dynasty (220-206 BCE) and the mediatized postmodern state under Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush (1981-1993 CE). An analysis of fascism as a state dynamic is developed as both a connecting thread and differentiator. Special attention is given to forms of war, the role of the body and image of the leader, and the exceeding of the human by the machine of the state. First published in 1992 by Autonomedia (New York). Contents 7 1. Introduction 8 2. The Elimination of Strength: Absolutism, the Body of the Despot, and the Rise of the Chinese Empire 12 Unity and Dominion 12 Lice 13 One Hole 18 On Weakening the People 27 The Unification of Words 32 Feet Like Flowing Water 40 Abolition 41 Generation 41 Spiral and Line 41 Black Hole 47 Divinity 54 The Emperor's Second Death 62 From the Steppes to the Sea 64 State-Extreme, Extremist State 73 3. Postmortem on the Presidential Body; or, Where the Rest of Him Went 88 Close-Up to Infinity 89 Stumped 96 Patchwork President 102 The Kinetic Geography of the Quasi-Corporeal 108 Political Rhythm (A Fable) 112 Repeat After Me 113 Missile Vision 119 Mystery of the Killer Wimp 124 Lessons 136 The Body Without an Image 137 4. First and Last Emperors: Conclusion 154 Notes 170 Key to Citations 170 Pronunciation of the Pinyin Transliteration System 171 2. The Elimination fo Strength 171 3. Postmortem on the Presidential Body 184 4. First and Last Emperors 192 Bibliography 196 Illustrations 206