UNITED STATES AUTHOR · HISTORY · IMPERIALISM
M. Hardt
Also known as: M Hardt, Michael Hardt
Michael Hardt (born 1960) is an American political philosopher and literary theorist. Hardt is best known for his 2000 book Empire, which was co-written with Antonio Negri. Hardt and Negri suggest that several forces which they see as dominating contemporary life, such as class oppression, globalization and the commodification of services (or production of affects), have the potential to spark social change of unprecedented dimensions. A sequel, Multitude: War and Democracy in the Age of Empire was published in August 2004. It outlines an idea first propounded in Empire, which is that of the multitude as possible locus of a democratic movement of global proportions.
In a small ceremony in the year 1492 at the university city of Salamanca, in north central Spain, Queen Isabella of Castile was presented with the first copy, just off the press, of the humanist Antonio de Nebrija's Grammar of the Castilian language.
— from EMPIRE!
Most acclaimed
Empire and Beyond
"In April 2003, after twenty-four years spent in conditions of imprisonment, exile, and constraint, Negri was finally granted a passport. This gave him the opportunity to travel worldwide and to test the political theory which had given rise to his bestselling volume Empire, co-authored with Michael Hardt. This new book, Empire and Beyond, brings together texts in which Negri explores and elaborates the revolutionary ideas that underpin his social and political theory. He examines, among other things, the political movements that are emerging today to challenge and resist the power of Empire; the hegemony of immaterial labour; and the subjective and objective conditions of social transformation in our contemporary postmodern world. Each of these texts, delivered as speeches to audiences around the world, gives Negri the opportunity to test his ideas with politically committed audiences with a view to developing theory further -- a continuous and exciting process of critique and renewal." -- back cover.
Multitude
"In their international bestseller Empire, Michael Hardt and Antonio Negri presented a grand unified vision of a world in which the old forms of imperialism are no longer effective, and the various nation-states, even the most powerful, have to surrender much of their sovereignty to a supranational, multidimensional network of power they call Empire." "But what of Empire in an age of "American empire"? Many say that the unilateral war on terror conducted by the United States proves that old-school imperialism is alive and well. In Multitude Hardt and Negri argue that the reverse is true : the grievous failures of the U.S. project only confirm that using the tools of a previous historical moment to address contemporary problems is a recipe for ever more conflict, insecurity, and instability. The only way for the rich and powerful to maintain their interests and guarantee the global order is to establish a broad collaboration among the ruling powers in a new form of Empire. But such an imperial peace is by no means the solution for the vast majority of the world; such a "peace" really presides over a global state of violence that is progressively permeating all aspects of our society, exacerbating hierarchies, and subverting the traditional possibilities of democratic exchange."--BOOK JACKET.
EMPIRE!
"How did a barren, thinly populated country, somewhat isolated from the rest of Europe, establish itself as the world's first superpower? Henry Kamen's impressive new book offers a fresh and highly original answer. Empire is a global survey of the two and a half centuries, from the late fifteenth to the mid-eighteenth, in which the Spaniards established the most extensive empire the world had ever known, ranging from Naples and the Netherlands to the Philippines. Unlike previous accounts, which have presented the empire as a direct consequence of Spanish power, this provocative work of history emphasizes the inability of Spain to run an imperial enterprise by itself. The role of conquest was deceptive. Spain's rise to power was actually made possible by the collaboration of international business interests, including Italian financiers, German technicians and Dutch traders, in the task of setting up networks of contact ranging across the oceans. At the height of its apparent power, the Spanish empire was in reality a global enterprise in which non-Spaniards-Portuguese, Basque, Aztec, Genoese, Chinese, Flemish, West African, Incan and Neapolitan-played an essential role. It is this vast diversity of resources and people, which included many of its greatest adventurers and soldiers, that made Spain's power so overwhelming. There is no better account in English of this time. Henry Kamen's book provides a highly relevant analysis of the origins and nature of imperial power, and of global economic activity. Challenging, persuasive and unique in its thesis, Empire explores Spain's complex impact on world history with admirable clarity and intelligence."--Jacket.