The Politics of Jurisprudence: A Critical Introduction to Legal Philosophy, 2nd edition (original) (raw)

Abstract

that are unanswered, and the meaning of 'political imaginary' requires greater elucidation to underpin the project. At some level the distinction between visual representations and those in discourse is not so clear cut, and it would be interesting to know what difference it would make to see the two as related. Moreover, much of the book deals with textual evidence, historical and sociological analysis, and etymological derivation, all a long way from the initial emphasis on the visual representation of the state form. Furthermore, on p. 9, Neocleous states that 'the idea of the body politic has been a central theme within the statist political imaginary', but this is not such a bold claim once the imaginary is taken as visual, and indeed seems like a circular argument. In practice, the term 'political imaginary' is used as an umbrella term. In addition, the argument for the impact of the political imaginary on political thinking and practices needs to be made. I would like to have seen this enterprise set in a wider context-what else is there at stake as well as the political imaginary, and what would the 'political imaginary' of a different political form look like? Without these contextualizations it is difficult to fully assess the importance and impact of what is under discussion in this book. While I found this a stimulating read, further attention to all these framing questions would have set out more fully the parameters of this enterprise, and so strengthened the book.

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