Date of Award
2021
Degree Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Department
Philosophy
Abstract
In this dissertation, I argue for a reconceptualization of political action according to Hannah Arendt that relies on more than her text often read text, The Human Condition. I argue that a monolithic understanding of political action which solely relies on The Human Condition allows for a narrow and ineffectual account of the concept. Taking up the analogy of one-dimensional blueprints, I claim that using The Human Condition alone only provides one perspective on and version of political action. I promote, instead, a multi-dimensional perspective of political action much like an architectural rendering software such as AutoCAD provides, or renders, a three-dimensional view of a building. In order to achieve such a view, we need to turn to other texts which inadvertently explicate and demonstrate political action, as well as incorporate minoritized perspectives on Arendt and political action. With a three-dimensional rendering of political action, we are better prepared to follow what I claim are different versions of political action—one tied to The Human Condition which is idealized and exclusive and the other which is nonideal and in turn more inclusive.
Recommended Citation
Brichacek, Katherine, "Refuting the Single Story of Political Action in Hannah Arendt: Navigating Arendt's Eurocentrism and Anti-Black Racism" (2021). Dissertations. 3914.
https://ecommons.luc.edu/luc_diss/3914
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.
Copyright Statement
Copyright © 2021 Katherine Brichacek
