C9532 - POLITICAL THEORIES OF WAR

Learning outcomes

The course aims to critically examine some of the main political theories and philosophies of war, with particular attention to those conceptions that interpret conflict as a constitutive element of political experience. By the end of the course, students will be able to critically analyze and understand the conceptual premises, historical transformations, and relevance of major political theories of war within contemporary political thought. They will be able to apply theoretical and genealogical frameworks to the analysis of modern forms of sovereignty, security, and political subjectivity, and to formulate autonomous and well-argued assessments of the relationship between conflict, power, and institutions. Moreover, students will develop the ability to communicate complex theoretical arguments with rigor and clarity, employing appropriate disciplinary language, and to conduct independent research and critical reflection within the field of political philosophy.

Course contents

The course examines some of the main political theories and philosophies of war, with particular attention to the relationship between war, conflict, sovereignty, political order, and power.

The first part of the course provides a historical and conceptual introduction to the political thought of war. It reconstructs some of the principal ways in which classical, early modern, and modern political philosophy has conceived of war—its causes and legitimacy, its political and institutional functions, and its relationship to sovereignty, international order, revolution, and the very definition of the political (with reference, among others, to Thucydides, Augustine, Machiavelli, Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, and Clausewitz).

The central part of the course is devoted to Carl Schmitt and Michel Foucault. Through the analysis of selected works, their respective reflections on sovereignty, political conflict, war, power, and political order will be examined, together with the convergences and divergences between their theoretical approaches.

The final part of the course returns to the constitutive dimension of conflict beyond the interstate paradigm: civil war and stasis, colonial and postcolonial violence, and asymmetric conflict (with reference, among others, to Nicole Loraux and Frantz Fanon).

The course adopts a primarily theoretical and textual approach. Lectures will be based on the reading, interpretation, and critical discussion of selected works of political philosophy. The aim is to provide students with the conceptual and methodological tools required to understand the role of war and conflict in the formation and transformation of political institutions, international order, and political subjectivities.

No specific prerequisites are required, although a basic knowledge of the history of political thought is recommended.

Readings/Bibliography

The course will be based on selected chapters, lectures, and passages from the texts listed below. Students are not required to read the listed works in full. The specific sections required for the examination will be indicated at the beginning of the course and listed on the Virtuale platform.

Paul Kelly, Conflict, War and Revolution: The Problem of Politics in International Political Thought, LSE Press, 2022 (open access), selected chapters.

Thomas Hobbes, Leviathan (1651), any unabridged edition, selected chapters.

Carl Schmitt, Political Theology: Four Chapters on the Concept of Sovereignty, University of Chicago Press, 2005, selected sections.

Carl Schmitt, The Concept of the Political, University of Chicago Press, 2007, selected sections.

Carl Schmitt, The Nomos of the Earth in the International Law of the Jus Publicum Europaeum, Telos Press, 2003, selected chapters. 

Michel Foucault, The Punitive Society: Lectures at the Collège de France, 1972–1973, Palgrave Macmillan, 2015, selected lectures.

Michel Foucault, “Society Must Be Defended”: Lectures at the Collège de France, 1975–1976, Picador, 2003, selected lectures.

Frantz Fanon, The Wretched of the Earth, trans. Richard Philcox, Grove Press, 2004, selected passages.

Nicole Loraux, The Divided City: On Memory and Forgetting in Ancient Athens, Zone Books, 2002, selected passages.

Optional complementary reading for students who read Italian or French: Valentina Antoniol, Foucault critico di Schmitt. Genealogie e guerra, Rubbettino, 2024; Valentina Antoniol, Foucault et la guerre. À partir de Schmitt, contre Schmitt, Mimésis, 2023.

Additional primary sources and supplementary readings may be made available through the Virtuale platform.

Teaching methods

The course consists of 40 hours of teaching and is primarily delivered through lectures. Teaching will combine historical and conceptual introductions with the close reading, interpretation, and critical discussion of selected texts.

Students will be encouraged to participate actively in class discussions and to compare different theoretical perspectives. Particular attention will be paid to the development of analytical skills, independent critical judgement, and the appropriate use of the specialised vocabulary of political philosophy.

Through direct engagement with the texts, students will be encouraged to develop an autonomous and transferable method of reading and analysis that can be applied to other texts and research questions. This will support their capacity for independent study and research.

Assessment methods

Assessment will be based on written examinations concerning the topics addressed during the course and the required readings.

Students who attend the course regularly will be eligible to take two written partial examinations, the first halfway through the course and the second at the end of the course. The final grade will be calculated as the average of the grades obtained in the two partial examinations. Students who do not take both partial examinations will take a comprehensive written examination covering the entire programme. Further details on the organisation and validity of the partial examinations will be provided at the beginning of the course.

The examinations will consist of open-ended questions. Each partial examination will last approximately 90 minutes, while the comprehensive written examination will last approximately two hours. No books, notes, or electronic devices will be permitted during the examinations.

The examinations are aimed at assessing students’ knowledge and understanding of the main authors, concepts, and theoretical problems examined during the course. Particular attention will be paid to the ability to reconstruct and compare arguments, contextualise the texts, establish relevant conceptual connections, formulate autonomous and well-supported critical assessments, and use appropriate disciplinary language.

A coherent and comprehensive understanding of the course contents, combined with conceptual precision, critical autonomy, and clarity of expression, will result in the highest grades. Partial knowledge, limited analytical ability, or imprecise use of concepts and terminology will result in lower grades. Serious gaps in knowledge or an inability to formulate coherent answers will result in a failing grade. The examination is passed with a minimum grade of 18/30.

The use of generative AI tools during the examinations is prohibited. Any use constitutes a violation of academic integrity.

Students with specific learning disabilities and/or temporary or permanent disabilities are advised to contact the relevant University office as soon as possible (https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/en/for-students), which will propose appropriate adjustments. Any request for adjustments must be submitted to the lecturer at least fifteen days before the examination date; the lecturer will assess its appropriateness in relation to the learning outcomes of the course.

Teaching tools

Primary texts, presentations, outlines, and additional teaching materials will support the lectures and class discussions. Selected readings and supplementary materials may be made available through the Virtuale platform.

Office hours

See the website of Valentina Antoniol