Nietzsche and the Politics of Reaction

This book is intended as a major interdisciplinary contribution to the study of Nietzsches thought in particular, and the political right more generally. Historically the assessment of Nietzsches politics has ranged from denouncing him as a forerunner to Nazism to claiming he effectively did not have articulated political convictions. During the latter half of the 20th century he surprisingly became a major theoretical influence on a variety of post-structuralist radical critics, who saw in his perspectivism and genealogy of power useful tools to critique existent structures of domination. This collection of essays reframes the debate by looking at Nietzsches constructive political project defending aristocratic values from the levelling influence of the herd and its liberal, socialist, and democratic spokesmen. The essays will also explore how this defense of aristocratic values continues to have an influence on the political right, inspiring moderates like Jordan Peterson and farright authors and activists like Aleksandr Dugin and Steve Bannon.