Greek Literature in Contemporary Political Theory and Thought

Abstract

This article explores the uses of Greek literature, philosophy, and politics in contemporary political theory. It explains that, since the second half of the 20th century, the study and deployment of Greek texts in political theory has served four interrelated projects: (1) to underscore political theory’s roots as an embedded and politically relevant practice; (2) to show that the history of political thought may function as contemporary critique; (3) to recover the spontaneity, plurality, and equality of classical politics for modernity; (4) and to offer new resources for thinking about democratic equality and activity. The article suggests that the question of how to recuperate the new political theoretical possibilities posed by a polyvocal or deconstructed Plato remains an underappreciated but critical question for political and democratic theory today.

Introduction: In Terms of Athens

“…One of the most striking features of the Athenian corpus is its constant ability to yield up new insights to its modern interpreters-or rather (to put it the other way around), its interpreters' 9. For an overview see Kasimis (2015). perennial willingness to pose new questions to these ancient texts.…”