The Force of Things: Steps toward an Ecology of Matter

by: Jane Bennett

Political Theory, Vol. 32, No. 3. (1 June 2004), pp. 347-372.

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Abstract

This essay seeks to give philosophical expression to the vitality, willfullness, and recalcitrance possessed by nonhuman entities and forces. It also considers the ethico-political import of an enhanced awareness of "thing-power." Drawing from Lucretius, Spinoza, Gilles Deleuze, Bruno Latour, and others, it describes a materialism of lively matter, to be placed in conversation with the historical materialism of Marx and the body materialism of feminist and cultural studies. Thing-power materialism is a speculative onto-story, an admittedly presumptuous attempt to depict the nonhumanity that flows around and through humans. The essay concludes with a preliminary discussion of the ecological implications of thing-power. 10.1177/0090591703260853

@article{political theory, abstract = {This essay seeks to give philosophical expression to the vitality, willfullness, and recalcitrance possessed by nonhuman entities and forces. It also considers the ethico-political import of an enhanced awareness of "thing-power." Drawing from Lucretius, Spinoza, Gilles Deleuze, Bruno Latour, and others, it describes a materialism of lively matter, to be placed in conversation with the historical materialism of Marx and the body materialism of feminist and cultural studies. Thing-power materialism is a speculative onto-story, an admittedly presumptuous attempt to depict the nonhumanity that flows around and through humans. The essay concludes with a preliminary discussion of the ecological implications of thing-power. 10.1177/0090591703260853}, author = {Bennett, Jane }, citeulike-article-id = {2624328}, doi = {10.1177/0090591703260853}, journal = {Political Theory}, keywords = {theory}, month = {June}, number = {3}, pages = {347--372}, posted-at = {2008-05-10 04:57:12}, priority = {2}, title = {The Force of Things: Steps toward an Ecology of Matter}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0090591703260853}, volume = {32}, year = {2004} }

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TY - JOUR ID - political theory L3 - citeulike-article-id:2624328 TI - The Force of Things: Steps toward an Ecology of Matter JF - Political Theory VL - 32 IS - 3 SP - 347 EP - 372 N2 - This essay seeks to give philosophical expression to the vitality, willfullness, and recalcitrance possessed by nonhuman entities and forces. It also considers the ethico-political import of an enhanced awareness of "thing-power." Drawing from Lucretius, Spinoza, Gilles Deleuze, Bruno Latour, and others, it describes a materialism of lively matter, to be placed in conversation with the historical materialism of Marx and the body materialism of feminist and cultural studies. Thing-power materialism is a speculative onto-story, an admittedly presumptuous attempt to depict the nonhumanity that flows around and through humans. The essay concludes with a preliminary discussion of the ecological implications of thing-power. 10.1177/0090591703260853 KW - theory AU - Bennett, Jane PY - 2004/06/01/ UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0090591703260853 ER -

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