Book Review: Darren G Lilleker, Political Communication and Cognition
| Author | Russell Bentley |
| DOI | 10.1177/1478929916676950 |
| Published date | 01 February 2017 |
| Date | 01 February 2017 |
| Subject Matter | Book ReviewsGeneral Politics |
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process) precluded this possibility by reducing
an impressionist picture, leads the reader to
the divergence between creditors. The latter
appreciate the complete landscape and under-
are now mainly guided by their allegedly
stand the magnitude of his thought.
apolitical economic interest and thus discard as
Notwithstanding their different approaches
much as possible any argument justifying the
to the relation between debt and states, and
non-payment of debts – particularly that of the
despite their radically opposed writing styles
‘odious debt’. State (rather than sovereign)
(Lienau’s is easily accessible for all kinds of
reputation thus remains the main mechanism
readers, Lazzarato’s resorts to a complex and
for assigning financial resources nowadays.
well-settled philosophical terminology, from
Maurizio Lazzarato’s Governing by Debt
Foucault to Deleuze and Guattari), both books
deals with states and debt from a very different
contribute to their specific domain in a truly
perspective. Built up from his previous book
interdisciplinary way – an asset in Lienau’s
The Making of the Indebted Man (2012),
case, a taken-for-granted fact in Lazzarato’s.
where he pointed out that the main axis char-
Interestingly, there are some overlapping points.
acterising today’s society is no longer owner–
For instance, the valorisation process contrib-
employee but creditor–debtor, this book
utes to the predominance of the (alleged) polit-
explores the socio-economic impact of debt in
ical neutrality in the narrative of sovereign debt
the current stage of capitalism. According to
continuity. On a more pessimistic note, we can
Lazzarato, debt, as an original sin of say that Lienau’s discussion lacks any rele-
Nietzschean character, is ‘infinite, unpayable
vance if we accept Lazzarato’s arguments
and inexpiable, except through political about what is really at stake in current debt
redemption […] and never through...
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