Empire's New Clothes: Reading Hardt and Negri

The publication ofEmpirelast year created a sensation that spread from academia to the media to cocktail-party buzz. A book that causes such a "scholarly commotion" comes along "only once every decade or so" wrote theNew York Times, as the book's radical vision of imperial power in the new millennium sparked both histrionic condemnation and serious academic engagement. After September 11 this discussion ofEmpire'spolitical and legal theories was closely linked with the struggle to redefine America's place in a changed world. The book was read as a diagnosis of our era and a call for liberatory action, while Michael Hardt was acclaimed as the next Jacques Derrida. Framing the debate about this landmark work,The Empire's New Clothesbrings together leading scholars to make sense ofEmpire'snew vocabulary and tackle its claims head on. Does the authors' vision accurately describe the power structure of today's world? Do the processes of "globalization" todayrepresent a fundamental break from the past? Is the book really a "communist manifesto" for the new age? Empire's New Clothesinvestigates these and other key issues, giving academics, students, and lay readers a handle on a work that touches the most vital themes of current political, social, and economic life.