The term "impolitical" defines a significant portion of Roberto Esposito’s research, marking the outer limits of political theology rather than its total abandonment. Born in 1950 in Piano di Sorrento, Italy, this philosopher has dedicated his career to rethinking the traditional political lexicon that he argues has become exhausted within the framework of modern Western thought.
Academic Foundation and Early Roles
Esposito completed his education at the University of Naples Federico II. His academic trajectory included serving as the vice director of the Italian Institute of Human Sciences of Naples and coordinating the Ph.D. program in philosophy. He held a position at the Scuola Normale Superiore in Pisa, eventually becoming an emeritus professor of theoretical philosophy. Furthermore, he spent five years as the only Italian member of the International Council of Scholars of the Collège international de philosophie in Paris.
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During the 1980s and 1990s, Esposito addressed the waning significance of the political in a post-political era. Drawing from the work of Hannah Arendt and Simone Weil, as well as the deconstructive methods found in French philosophy, he developed the concept of the impolitical. This framework serves as a tool to navigate beyond the horizons of transcendentalism and the representational politics typical of modern governance. His investigations into this theme resulted in multiple texts, including "Categories of the Impolitical," "Nove pensieri sulla politica," and "The Origin of the Political: Hannah Arendt or Simone Weil?"
Research on Biopolitics and Community
The focus of his research shifted toward a trilogy concerning the relationship between community and immunity. In "Communitas: The Origin and Destiny of Community," Esposito explores the Latin term munus, signifying duty or obligation, to challenge exclusionary models of belonging. This work contrasts with his exploration of "Immunitas: The Protection and Negation of Life," which examines how the modern legal and biomedical systems protect life by negating it. His biopolitical analysis investigates how the social body functions similarly to the human immune system, specifically in terms of risk avoidance and conflict regulation.
Editorial and Institutional Contributions
Esposito has actively shaped philosophical discourse through his extensive editorial work. He is a co-editor for several significant book series, including "Filosofia Politica" with il Mulino, "Per la Storia della Filosofia Politica" with Franco Angeli, "Storia e teoria politica" with Bibliopolis, and "Comunità e Libertà" with Laterza. Additionally, he serves as an editor for the "Teoria e Oggetti" series published by Liguori and acts as a philosophy consultant for the publisher Einaudi. He was a founder of the European Political Lexicon Research Centre.
Fast facts
- Born: 1950, Piano di Sorrento, Italy
- Nationality: Italian
- Alma mater: University of Naples Federico II
- Academic home: Scuola Normale Superiore
- Primary fields: Philosophy, Biopolitics
- Known for: The impolitical, biopolitical trilogy
Questions readers ask
What is the impolitical?
It is an alternative concept developed by Esposito to describe the outer limit of the political, aimed at rethinking Western political lexicon beyond traditional political theology.
How does Esposito define the concept of munus?
He defines munus as a duty or obligation that binds people together through a transitive act of giving, rather than through possession or acquisition.
Achievements
- Held posts at Scuola Normale Superiore
- Fields: philosophy and biopolitics
