An Abstract Submision to the MANCEPT Workshops
(List of Panels 2025)
The City as a Normative Political Space Institutions, Relations, and Republicanism
Rethink the State
How much Political can the city tolerate?
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Abstract
The paper begins with an in-depth investigation into the linguistic origins of the terms "city" and "state," examining whether there is any contradiction or overlap in their core meanings. It then explores the political implications of a precise understanding of these terms and how this influences their conceptual formation. After that, the paper navigates the field of urban sociology to develop a broader understanding of these concepts from the perspective of urban inhabitants and how do they feel connected to them.
This paper explores the evolving political significance of cities under the authority of the modern nation-state, and argues that cities gradually meet the growing need for political effectiveness out of the centralized state governance. Rooted in historical, spatial, and philosophical analysis, the paper traces how the modern state, shaped by colonial legacies and a monopoly on violence, often suppresses organic forms of community and governance. In contrast, cities, which arise naturally from human needs for cooperation and communication, are reclaiming their historical roles as political actors. From hosting mass protests to addressing global challenges such as climate change, cities are asserting agency both locally and internationally, offering more inclusive and flexible governance structures.
Case studies such as the symbolic repurposing of public space during the Arab Spring or protesting in the German and European cities, along with grassroots urban activism and global city networks, are used to illustrate how urban spaces become focal points of both political contestation and collective identity. Drawing on thinkers such as Wael Hallaq, Don Mitchell and David Harvey, the paper critiques the ethical limitations of state-based modernity and posits urban spaces as hybrid, adaptive, and inherently democratic. Consistently, the study also highlights the social transformation humanity is undergoing, driven by rapid technological development. The emergence of the virtual world underscores the importance of public spaces in asserting civil rights, which are rarely granted without direct confrontation.
Ultimately, this paper calls for a rethinking of core political concepts through the socio-spatial dynamics of the city. It argues that cities are no longer merely post-political administrative units, but are instead evolving into active sites of renewed political imagination. Building on this foundation, the study explores how new forms of individual and collective freedom might emerge when the city is viewed as a living political environment in an increasingly globalized world.
Keywords: City, citizenship, State, Modernity, Collective Freedom, Urban Space
01.05.2025
Stuttgart
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