Festival Of Ideas - Liquid Sovereignty: Arthur Bradley in Conversation

Arthur Bradley’s recent book, Staging Sovereignty: Theory, Theater, Thaumaturgy (Columbia University Press, 2024) has been hailed as ‘a brilliant analysis of the immanence of theatricality to political power and authority in the modern European tradition’ (Eric Santner). In this talk and interview, Arthur will speak about the section of Staging Sovereignty which most directly concerns the 'Making Waves' theme of this year’s festival: his reading of Herman Melville’s Moby-Dick and whale oil in relation to a longer history of anointment of sovereigns and the legitimization of political power more broadly – a history which tells us much about our present-day relationship to sovereignty and displays of power.

After Arthur’s talk, there will be a structured discussion – whose focus will be the special relevance of literary texts and literary critical method to Arthur’s overall political-theoretical project – followed by the opportunity for audience questions.

 

Participant bios: Arthur Bradley is Professor of Comparative Literature at Lancaster University. His work focuses on the intersections between comparative literature, political theory, philosophy, and religion. As well as Staging Sovereignty, his books include Originary Technicity: The Theory of Technology from Marx to Derrida (2011) and Unbearable Life: A Genealogy of Political Erasure (2019). Niall Gildea is Lecturer in English Literature at York St John University. He is the author of Jacques Derrida’s Cambridge Affair: Deconstruction, Philosophy, and Institutionality (2019), and editor of the forthcoming volume, Raymond Williams and Structures of Feeling (2025).