Decrypting Power

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Decrypting Power offers a series of excellent articles on one of the most perplexing concepts that has plagued the left for centuries. From theory to practice, the word power almost always appears in slogans, tracts, and theoretical work. But what is a leftist notion of power? What does it mean to seize power? What does it mean to hold power? How do we distinguish power from force? In these illuminating essays these difficult questions are addressed. The essays are powerfully argued and well written and they are a must read for anyone who takes seriously what it would mean for the left to be in power, whether in the form of the state or other kinds of organization, such as transnational federations or continental communities. Sanin-Restrepo has provided us with a much needed service and we are in his debt. -- Drucilla Cornell, Professor of Political Science, Comparative Literature, and Women and Gender Studies, Rutgers University One of the most problematic aspects of critique these days is a fantasy about politics without power. This collection of powerful essays tackles the issue head on. What does it mean for progressive forces and the left to be in power? Power is not some ready-at-hand thing, a mere tool which can be wielded one way or another by progressives and reactionaries. Power institutions not only have a language of their own, but also a code. To participate in them is to engage with both. But if the left is to be in power, as it must, then it must also be ready to hack current institutional technologies, decrypt their code, and harness their performative force in new ceremonials and utopian technologies. Sanin-Restrepo has gifted us with the concepts to do so. -- Oscar Guardiola-Rivera, Reader in Law and Political Philosophy, Birkbeck College, University of London