Since the publication of Homo Sacer in 1995, Giorgio Agamben has become one of the world's most revered and controversial thinkers. His ideas on our current political situation have found supporters and enemies in almost equal measure. His wider thoughts on topics such as language, potentiality, life, law, messianism and aesthetics have had significant impact on such diverse fields as philosophy, law, theology, history, sociology, cultural studies and literary studies. Yet although Agamben is much read, his work has also often been misunderstood. This book is the first to fully take into account Agamben's important recent publications, which clarify his method, complete his ideas on power, and finally reveal the role of language in his overall system. William Watkin presents a critical overview of Agamben's work that, through the lens of indifference, aims to give a portrait of exactly why this thinker of indifferent and suspensive legal, political, ontological and living states can rightfully be considered one of the most important philosophers in the world today.

About the Author
William Watkin is professor of contemporary literature and philosophy at Brunel University, UK. He is the author of In the Process of Poetry: The New York School and the Avant-Garde (Bucknell UP, 2001), On Mourning: Theories of Loss in Modern Literature (Edinburgh UP, 2004) and The Literary Agamben (Continuum, 2010).

Reviews
'One of the most powerful and thoughtful introductions to Giorgio Agamben's thought that I have read in a long time. This is a perfect sequel to Watkin's groundbreaking The Literary Agamben. We untangle Agamben's philosophy by delineating his concepts and methods in opposition to those of Derrida and Deleuze. Watkins guides you as no one does, and all the while provides an accessible road-map.' -- Jean-Michel Rabate, Vartan Gregorian Professor in the Humanities, University of Pennsylvania



Book Information
ISBN 9781783480081
Author William Watkin
Format Paperback
Page Count 320
Imprint Rowman & Littlefield International
Publisher Rowman & Littlefield International
Weight(grams) 472g
Dimensions(mm) 229mm * 153mm * 23mm