Human Rights After Deleuze : Towards an An-archic Jurisprudence

"This book examines the possibility of creating new ways of existing beyond human rights. Multiple socio-political crises and the dominance of neoliberal and capitalist policies have led legal and political theorists to question the emancipatory promise of human rights and to reconceptualise human rights in theory and practice. The possibility of creating new ways of existing beyond human rights has been left significantly under examined, until now. Having as its starting point the ferocious, yet brief, critique on human rights of one of the most prominent French philosophers of the 20th century, Gilles Deleuze, the book argues that Deleuze's critique is not only compatible with his broader thought but that it has the potential to give a new impetus to the current critiques of human rights, within the 'disciplinary borders' of legal and political theory. The book draws upon Deleuze's broader thought, but also radical legal and political theory and continental philosophy. In particular, it investigates and expands on two of Deleuze's most important notions, namely those of 'immanence' and 'becoming' and their relation to the philosopher's critique of human rights. In doing so, it argues that these two notions are capable of questioning the dominant and dogmatic position that human rights enjoy." Acknowledgements Contents PART I DELEUZE’S CRITICAL REMARKS ON HUMAN RIGHTS Introduction I. Human Rights: 'A Flashing Light' of Resistance, or 'The Blinding Light' of Authoritarian Tendencies and 'The Death' of Every Potentiality? II. Why Deleuze? III. A Note on Method as Problematisation: What is the Problem with the Problem? Or How Does the Examination Proceed? 1. Deleuze on Human Rights Prologue I. Human Rights Through Deleuze's Eyes: Does the Philosopher Add Something New to the Multiple Critiques of Human Rights? II. Immanence vs Transcendence and Becoming vs Being: An Introductory Note III. Commentators on Deleuze's Critique of Human Rights: The Cases of Alexandre Lefebvre and Paul Patton PART II HUMAN RIGHTS, IMMANENCE, TRANSENDENCE AND THE DISTINCTION OF ETHICS AND MORALITY 2. The Question of Immanence Prologue I. Immanence vs Transcendence: The Case of Spinoza II. A Definition in Constant Flux: The (Immanent Mode of) Deleuzian Immanence, or How is Immanence? III. Where to after the Affirmation of Immanence? 3. Immanent Ethics and Transcendent Morality: Deleuze's An-Archic Ethos Prologue I. 'To Have Done with the Judgment of God' II. Human Rights in a State of Abeyance(?) PART III THE SUBJECT OF RIGHTS AND THE QUESTION OF BECOMING 4. Questioning the Subject of Human Rights, or How is a Becoming? Prologue I. How Did We Become Subjects of the Subject? II. The Human Rights of an Alienated Subject and the Subject of Alienating Human Rights III. The Ways of Becoming PART IV BEYOND HUMAN RIGHTS: TOWARDS AN AN-ARCHIC JURISPRUDENCE 5. Deleuze's Jurisprudence: Is there Phronsis Beyond Human Rights? Prologue I. Which Jurisprudence? – A Multiplicity of Meanings II. A Deleuzian Jurisprudence: Restoring the phronsis and ethos of ius 6. Apodosis: Towards an An-archic Jurisprudence. Prologue I. Institutions against the Law II. 'It is a nomos Very Different from the "Law"' III. (In)Conclusions Bibliography Index "The book draws upon Deleuze's broader thought, but also radical legal and political theory and continental philosophy to examine the possibility of creating new ways of existing and doing politics beyond human rights. The multiple socio-political crises and the dominance of neoliberal and capitalist policies have led legal and political theorists to question the emancipatory promise of human rights. These scholars tried to reassess and reconceptualise human rights in theory and practice. Having as its starting point the ferocious, yet brief, critique on human rights of one of the most prominent French philosophers of the 20th century, Gilles Deleuze, the book argues that Deleuze's critique is not only compatible with his broader thought but it has the potential to give a new impetus to the current critiques of human rights, within the 'disciplinary borders' of legal and political theory. The book investigates and expands on two of Deleuze's most important notions, namely those of 'immanence' and 'becoming' and their relation to the philosopher's critique of human rights. In doing so, it argues that these two notions are capable of questioning the dominant and dogmatic position that human rights enjoy. Ultimately, by critically examining and expanding on Deleuze's use of the term 'jurisprudence', the book argues for an account of doing politics beyond human rights - what it calls an an-archic jurisprudence."-- Provided by publisher