The End of Sovereignty

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This volume compiles Antonio Negri's critical writings on the modern state's nature and form. A central theme is the necessity of moving beyond the sovereign state, a political power shaped by the capitalist organization of bourgeois society. Negri argues that the sovereign bourgeois state has become a tool for a declining ruling class, which sometimes appears exhausted in its institutional forms and at other times operates in a frenetic, zombie-like, or parafascist manner. He contends that the despotic power of the state should be abolished, distinguishing his perspective from other Left thinkers who mistakenly view the state as inevitable. Instead, he believes the state should be seen as a power structure that, once conquered, must be transformed and ultimately dissolved to combat the oppression of living labor and promote free citizenship. Negri asserts that the call for state abolition remains a vital, active concrete utopia, reflected in every act of liberation. The articles in this volume cover Negri's analysis of the capitalist state's transformation in the twentieth century, driven by Keynesianism, and his insights into the evolution of sovereignty from local command to global control. This collection is a valuable resource for those interested in radical politics and contemporary social and political struggles.