Book Review: Other Areas: Anarchism and Political Modernity
| Date | 01 May 2013 |
| Published date | 01 May 2013 |
| DOI | 10.1111/1478-9302.12016_14 |
| Subject Matter | Book Review |
235
notice, while simultaneously giving the impression that
follow Jun in identifying wrongheaded ideas of repre-
Sartre’s philosophical themes (i.e. ‘intentionality’, ‘emo-
sentation, philosophical and political, as the focus of
tions’ or the ‘ego’) remain consistent throughout his
anarchist criticism of modernity. Jun helpfully limits the
work. Indeed even the structure of the book itself is
scope of modernity by addressing only those aspects
risky for it gives the false impression that there is a
‘that may be properly called political’ (p. 45).
certain amount of continuity in Sartre’s thinking.
After having discussed the conceptions of human
Nevertheless, all the themes that are addressed in this
nature, morality and political and economic power rela-
work are done with true rigour and insight, performing
tions contained in socialism and liberalism in chapters 3
a fine balancing act that deciphers a complex philoso-
and 4, Jun sets out to argue that anarchism is not so
phy, put in an accessible language, without sacrificing
much a deviant rippling in the wake of these two
detail or depth. The chapter on emotion is particularly
major political ideologies of modernity but a strong
insightful and one of the best accounts of Sartre’s
current that opposes modernity from the outset. How
theory of emotions to date. The book, if viewed as a
this propagates, historically, in the different anarchist
reading guide to all of Sartre’s pre-Being and Nothing
propositions is neatly shown in chapter 5. However, it
works, is a worthy piece, and certainly more accurate
is doubtful whether the suggested alignment of anar-
and clear-cut than previous attempts.
chism with postmodernism, which follows in chapter
6, combined with statements that ‘to be revolutionary is
Christian Gilliam
to be on guard...
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