Work

Sovereign taxidermy: contesting ultimate decisions with Melville, Schmitt and Krasznahorkai

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: The article reads texts by Herman Melville and László Krasznahorkai through the Schmittian problem of genuine sovereign decisions. Examining the capacity and authority of contested, depersonalized and feigned sovereignties, two key figures are highlighted: a veiled corpse that supplements a ship’s figurehead in Melville’s story, and the carcass of a dead whale in Krasznahorkai’s novel. The two figures maintain a political sphere in which the protagonists contest and claim sovereignties of uncertain origin to subvert and restore order. It is argued that the emptied sovereignties are crucial to understanding how the pure capacity to act can become legitimate politics.

Source: Journal of Political Power

DOI: 10.1080/2158379x.2025.2538477

Author: Attila Gyulai

Institutions: Corvinus University of Budapest, Centre for Social Sciences, Hungarian Research Network

Language: English

Topic: Political Theology and Sovereignty

Subfield: Sociology and Political Science

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Peace, justice, and strong institutions

Open Access status: hybrid

Funder: National Research, Development and Innovation Office