%0 Journal Article
%T An Alternative Model of Politics? Prospects and Problems of Jane Bennett¡¯s Vital Materialism
%A Thomas Lemke
%J Theory, Culture & Society
%@ 1460-3616
%D 2018
%R 10.1177/0263276418757316
%X This article discusses the basic arguments and important achievements of Jane Bennett¡¯s vital materialism, as well as some problems and limitations of this theoretical perspective. It first analyzes the ontological underpinnings of Bennett¡¯s materialist account and presents two examples she uses to illustrate the notion of a ¡®force of things¡¯. The paper then addresses central conceptual and analytic problems of Bennett¡¯s account. The notion of an all-encompassing ¡®vitality of matter¡¯ is insufficient to explain the relationality of matter; it is also empirically limited and provides only a selective account of agency. These shortcomings and limitations affect the political perspectives of Bennett¡¯s version of vital materialism. I conclude that there is a tendency in her work to displace political considerations by invoking new ethical responsibilities and sensibilities. Being attentive to the vitality of things translates into a systematic blindness concerning the inequalities, asymmetries and hierarchies enacted in vital materializations
%K Jane Bennett
%K new materialisms
%K political theory
%K posthuman
%K vitalism
%U https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0263276418757316