Öz
This article critically examines Giorgio Agamben’s concept of “bare life” (zoē) as it intersects with modern political theory, biopolitics, and the mechanics of sovereignty. Drawing from Agamben’s foundational work Homo Sacer (1998) and engaging with contemporary scholarly critiques, this paper explores the distinction Agamben makes between bare life and political life (bios). It emphasizes how this duality shapes the relationship between law, life, and exclusion in both historical and contemporary contexts. The article integrates critical responses from scholars such as Katia Genel (2006), James Gordon Finlayson (2010), and Dotan Leshem (2014) and highlights the ongoing debates surrounding Agamben’s interpretation of Aristotle and his extension of the concept of biopower. By analyzing Agamben’s reinterpretation of sovereignty, the state of exception, and the concept of the camp, this paper aims to deepen our understanding of how bare life serves as both a theoretical tool for critiquing modern governance and a reflection of the precariousness of human existence in a globalized world. Through this analysis, I consider the implications of bare life for contemporary political thought and focus on the possibility of post-sovereign politics and the reappropriation of life beyond legal and institutional frameworks.
Anahtar Kelimeler
Kaynakça
- Agamben, G. (1998). Homo sacer: Sovereign power and bare life (D. Heller-Roazen, Trans.). Stanford University Press.
- Agamben, G. (2005). State of exception (K. Attell, Trans.). University of Chicago Press.
- Agamben, G. (2011). The kingdom and the glory: For a theological genealogy of economy and government (L. Chiesa, Trans.). Stanford University Press.
- Downey, A. (2009). Zones of indistinction: Giorgio Agamben’s “bare life” and the politics of aesthetics. Third Text, 23(2), 109–125. https://doi.org/10.1080/09528820902840581
- Finlayson, J. G. (2010). “Bare life” and politics in Agamben’s reading of Aristotle. The Review of Politics, 72(1), 97–126. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0034670509990977
- Genel, K. (2006). The question of biopower: Foucault and Agamben. Rethinking Marxism, 18(1), 43–62. https://doi.org/10.1080/08935690500410635
- Leshem, D. (2015). Embedding Agamben’s critique of Foucault: The theological and pastoral origins of governmentality. Theory, Culture & Society, 32(3), 93–113. https://doi.org/10.1177/0263276414537315
- Prozorov, S. (2009). The appropriation of abandonment: Giorgio Agamben on the state of nature and the political. Continental Philosophy Review, 42, 327–353. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11007-009-9115-z
- Ricciardi, A. (2009). From decreation to bare life: Weil, Agamben, and the impolitical. Diacritics, 39(2), 75–93. https://doi.org/10.1353/dia.2010.0000
- Ross, A. (2012). Agamben’s political paradigm of the camp: Its features and reasons. Constellations, 19(3), 421–434. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8675.2012.00699.x
- Ten Bos, R. (2005). Giorgio Agamben and the community without identity. The Sociological Review, 53(S1), 16–29. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-954X.2005.00538.x
- Schmitt, C. (1996). The concept of the political (G. Schwab, Trans.). University of Chicago Press.
Öz
Bu makale, Giorgio Agamben’in “çıplak hayat” (zoē) kavramını, modern siyasi teori, biyopolitika ve egemenlik kavramlarıyla kesiştiği noktada eleştirel bir şekilde incelemektedir. Agamben’in temel eseri Homo Sacer’den (1998) yararlanarak ve çağdaş akademik eleştirilerle etkileşim kurarak, bu makale Agamben’in çıplak hayat ile siyasi hayat (bios) arasında yaptığı ayrımı araştırmaktadır. Bu ikiliğin hem tarihsel hem de çağdaş bağlamlarda hukuk, hayat ve dışlanma arasındaki ilişkiyi nasıl şekillendirdiğini vurgulamaktadır. Makale, Katia Genel (2006), James Gordon Finlayson (2010) ve Dotan Leshem (2014) gibi akademisyenlerin eleştirel bakışlarını bir analiz etmekte ve Agamben’in Aristoteles yorumunu ve biyoiktidar kavramını genişletmesi konusundaki devam eden tartışmaları irdelemektedir. Bu makale, Agamben'in egemenlik, istisna hali ve kamp kavramına ilişkin yeniden yorumunu analiz ederek, çıplak yaşamın hem modern yönetimi eleştirmek için teorik bir araç hem de küreselleşmiş bir dünyada insan varoluşunun güvencesizliğinin bir yansıması olarak nasıl hizmet ettiğine dair anlayışımızı derinleştirmeyi amaçlamaktadır. Bu analiz aracılığıyla, çıplak yaşamın çağdaş siyasi düşünce için çıkarımları ele alınmakta ve egemenlik sonrası siyasetin olasılığına ve yaşamın yasal ve kurumsal çerçevelerin ötesinde yeniden sahiplenilmesine odaklanılmaktadır.
Anahtar Kelimeler
Kaynakça
- Agamben, G. (1998). Homo sacer: Sovereign power and bare life (D. Heller-Roazen, Trans.). Stanford University Press.
- Agamben, G. (2005). State of exception (K. Attell, Trans.). University of Chicago Press.
- Agamben, G. (2011). The kingdom and the glory: For a theological genealogy of economy and government (L. Chiesa, Trans.). Stanford University Press.
- Downey, A. (2009). Zones of indistinction: Giorgio Agamben’s “bare life” and the politics of aesthetics. Third Text, 23(2), 109–125. https://doi.org/10.1080/09528820902840581
- Finlayson, J. G. (2010). “Bare life” and politics in Agamben’s reading of Aristotle. The Review of Politics, 72(1), 97–126. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0034670509990977
- Genel, K. (2006). The question of biopower: Foucault and Agamben. Rethinking Marxism, 18(1), 43–62. https://doi.org/10.1080/08935690500410635
- Leshem, D. (2015). Embedding Agamben’s critique of Foucault: The theological and pastoral origins of governmentality. Theory, Culture & Society, 32(3), 93–113. https://doi.org/10.1177/0263276414537315
- Prozorov, S. (2009). The appropriation of abandonment: Giorgio Agamben on the state of nature and the political. Continental Philosophy Review, 42, 327–353. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11007-009-9115-z
- Ricciardi, A. (2009). From decreation to bare life: Weil, Agamben, and the impolitical. Diacritics, 39(2), 75–93. https://doi.org/10.1353/dia.2010.0000
- Ross, A. (2012). Agamben’s political paradigm of the camp: Its features and reasons. Constellations, 19(3), 421–434. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8675.2012.00699.x
- Ten Bos, R. (2005). Giorgio Agamben and the community without identity. The Sociological Review, 53(S1), 16–29. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-954X.2005.00538.x
- Schmitt, C. (1996). The concept of the political (G. Schwab, Trans.). University of Chicago Press.
Ayrıntılar
| Birincil Dil | İngilizce |
|---|---|
| Konular | Siyasal Teori ve Siyaset Felsefesi |
| Bölüm | İnceleme Makalesi |
| Yazarlar | |
| Gönderilme Tarihi | 24 Mart 2025 |
| Kabul Tarihi | 25 Ağustos 2025 |
| Yayımlanma Tarihi | 30 Nisan 2026 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.37093/ijsi.1664711 |
| IZ | https://izlik.org/JA38ZP35JY |
| Yayımlandığı Sayı | Yıl 2026 Cilt: 19 Sayı: 1 |
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