Summary: By analyzing the image of George W. Bush’s startled look at the moment he was told of the planes crushing into the World Trade Center, I will argue that sovereignty resembles the triangle of representation. Thus, what is primary for an understanding of sovereignty is not the institutions of government, but rather the narratives that communicate the “value” of these institutions. Dimitris Vardoulakis teaches philosophy at the University of Western Sydney. He is the author of The Doppelgänger: Literature’s Philosophy (Fordham, 2010). He has edited Spinoza Now (U. of Minnesota P., 2011) and co-edited After Blanchot (U. of Delaware P., 2005). Forthcoming books include the co-edited volumes Kafka’s Cages (Palgrave, 2012) and “Sparks Will Fly”: Benjamin and Heidegger (SUNY, 2012). The presentation is from the introduction of a book on sovereignty he is contracted to write for Fordham UP.
