Responsibility, Violence, and Catastrophe

Publication Type

Journal Article

Year of Publication

2008

Author

Vásquez-Arroyo, Antonio Y.

Journal

Constellations: An International Journal of Critical and Democratic Theory

Volume

15

Number

1

Pages

98-125

Language

English

Keywords

force
iliad
Butler, Judith
politics
roots (uprootedness)
violence
war

Annotation

Vázquez-Arroyo draws on Weil's political writing as found in The Iliad: Poem of Force, The Need for Roots and various essays to reflect on the intersection of political responsibility, violence and catastrophe. The author uses Weil to reflect on Judith Butler's work on 'responsibility, mourning and loss', going on, after a brief discussion of Machiavelli and Weber, to articulate his own position on these issues.