Books by Nick Hewlett

With its unique blend of political history and political theory, this book is a welcome addition to the series on Politics, Culture and Society in the New Europe. Nick Hewlett begins his fascinating study with a discussion of the various ways in which the concept of democracy has been interpreted.

Examines the important contributions of three giants of contemporary French thought to the field of political theory: Alain Badiou, one of the most important continental thinkers; Etienne Balibar who has forged new approaches to democracy and citizenship; and, Jacques Ranciere who has crossed boundaries between history, politics and aesthetics.

Bringing together three contemporary French philosophers, Alain Badiou, Etienne Balibar, and Jacques Ranciere, the author examines the political aspects of their work. He also identifies and explores problems in each of Badiou, Balibar and Ranciere's work, arguing that none offers a wholly convincing approach.

How do we decide when violence in pursuit of emancipation is legitimate and what form - if any - should it take? Nick Hewlett places the goal of a wholly peaceful society centre-stage to give us a new understanding of violence in the pursuit of peace.

In this short book the author argues that the Sarkozy phenomenon is best explained by principal reference to the notion of Bonapartism, which of course has a long history in French politics.