Athens revolting: Three meditations on sovereignty and one on its (possible) dismantelment
Douzinas, Costas
Douzinas, Costas
Author
Abstract
In British and continental constitutional theory, the sovereign provides a mouthpiece for the law, helping present a unified body politic. For Hegel too the sovereign is a function for the unity of the people. But it is the subject’s desire, which brings the sovereign into existence as guarantor of the law’s coherence and closure. The spontaneous insurrection of December 2008 in Greece weakened the hold of the sovereign on the subject. The post-political condition was challenged by the unplanned actions of resistance and performance by people who have been excluded from political visibility.
Keywords
aesthetics, athens protests, human rights, jurisdiction, The Political, sovereignty
Date
2010
Type
Journal article
Journal
Law and Critique: Journal of Critical Legal Studies
Book
Volume
21
Issue
3
Page Range
261-275