Power, affect, society

Abstract

A major trend in contemporary social theory builds on concepts and ideas adapted from the 17th-century Dutch-Jewish philosopher Baruch de Spinoza. This surprising renaissance has its roots in significant interpretations by Althusser, Deleuze and Negri, among others, in feminist appropriations and in the “turn to ontology” that has shaped some recent discussions in political theory. Following the ambition and goal of this volume, I will propose reassessing the importance of Spinoza for a critical social theory today, starting from a reconstruction of some of his foundational ideas about power, affect and the social (I). This reconstruction can reveal a systematically attractive conception of power that forms the core of a general but highly dynamic ontology that still holds considerable promise for thinking individuality, the social bond, collective bodies, institutions, democracy and radical social transformation differently than in more hegemonic paradigms. I will present some conclusions about the contours of a social theory starting from these theoretical options and discuss in what sense it might be considered “materialist” (II). I then turn to a short conclusion that asks whether (or how) this can be considered a “critical theory” in its own right (III).