What is it about?
The article compares Cavarero's account of politics with those of Rancière and Arendt. It argues that when Cavarero offers a formal account of politics, her account is very close to Arendt's, and as a consequence her account is susceptible to Rancière's critique of Arendt. However, the article then goes on to argue that elsewhere in her work Cavarero offers an account of politics that is significantly different to Arendt. This can be seen in her reading of Penelope from Homer's Odyssey, which I analyse. This account is not only less susceptible to Rancière's critique, but demonstrates the limits of Rancière's own account of politics.
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Why is it important?
Cavarero's work is increasingly being engaged in the English speaking world. This article offers an in-depth overview of her thought on politics, as well as positioning her in relation to another contemporary thinker of politics, Jacques Rancière. It not only gives an overview of Cavarero's thought but pushes her thought on politics, arguing that there is a politics of "indifference" that is unmarked in her work, but is crucial to understanding what is valuable about her interventions.
Perspectives
This was not only an opportunity for me to engage Cavarero's reading of Penelope, which is a joy to read, but also to work through my thought's on Rancière's work, which I am both indebted to but also critical of.
Dr Timothy J. Huzar
National Coalition of Independent Scholars
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: A Politics of Indifference: Reading Cavarero, Rancière and Arendt, Paragraph, July 2019, Edinburgh University Press,
DOI: 10.3366/para.2019.0299.
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