The Grammar of Republican Political Theory: A Critical Discussion of Arendt and Habermas

Abstract

In my PhD thesis, I argue that current concepts of republicanism fail to fully incorporate a political conception of freedom as well as the dialectic relationship between politicization and depoliticization. Against this, I suggest an Arendtian conception of republicanism that relies on (1) non-domination as non-rule and a conception of active citizens, (2) plurality and the (3) equal right to common membership. In the end, I argue that Arendt’s theory should be amended by a theory of the socially aware constitutional state, derived from Habermas’ legal theory.