Overview

Reintroducing Hannah Arendt connects Arendt’s philosophical and political thought to social theory and the social sciences in the 21st century, as individuals experience profound social, political, and technological change. Though classifying herself as a political theorist sceptical of sociology and the social sciences, Arendt’s critique of mass society shares much in common with perennial themes in social theory. Indeed, her reflections on the importance of the world and the power of stories, the prevalence of loneliness and alienation, statelessness, cynicism in politics, antisemitism, imperialism, totalitarianism, and the banality of evil mark her as one of the most original and provocative thinkers of the 20th century. Reintroducing Hannah Arendt links her focus on the unprecedented nature of totalitarianism with the importance of plurality, birth, freedom, responsibility, and new beginnings. In addition to outlining central themes in her published work, Siobhan Kattago argues for the acuity of Hannah Arendt’s insights for understanding our century of polarised politics, post-truth, artificial intelligence, social media, and echo chambers. The volume will thus appeal to scholars and students of sociology, philosophy, social theory, and politics with interests in the thought of Hannah Arendt and its enduring significance.

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9781032318837

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Reviews

‘Kattago’s superb book is a breath of fresh air, not only reinterpreting Arendt’s profound relevance to sociology but also opening new avenues for thinking about the most pressing challenges of our times—not least the unprecedented power of AI-enabled technologies, and the undervalued radicality of daring to truly love our world. A nuanced, timely and undoubtedly compelling work.’ Patrick Hayden, University of St Andrews, UK

‘Kattago’s superb book is a breath of fresh air, not only reinterpreting Arendt’s profound relevance to sociology but also opening new avenues for thinking about the most pressing challenges of our times—not least the unprecedented power of AI-enabled technologies, and the undervalued radicality of daring to truly love our world. A nuanced, timely and undoubtedly compelling work.’ Patrick Hayden, University of St Andrews, UK 'In this marvelous book, Siobhan Kattago illuminates Arendt as a thinker we shall (re)turn to in the face of the dark times looming large today, while she remains true to Arendt’s radical belief in new beginnings.' Maria Robaszkiewicz, Paderborn University, Germany

Author Information

Siobhan Kattago is an associate professor of political philosophy at the University of Tartu in Estonia. In addition to her interest in post-war European philosophy, she has written about the philosophy of history and memory in Encountering the Past Within the Present: Modern Experiences of Time (2020), The Ashgate Research Companion to Memory Studies (editor, 2015), Memory and Representation in Contemporary Europe (2012), and Ambiguous Memory: The Nazi Past and German National Identity (2001).

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