Vitam Instituere

A Genealogy of the Institution

By: Roberto Esposito, Zakiya Hanafi (Translator)

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Hardcover | 15 September 2025 | Edition Number 1

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200 Pages

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In this book, Roberto Esposito continues his philosophical exploration of the relation between institutions and human life. Starting from the enigmatic Latin term vitam instituere, he charts its early emergence in modern philosophy and its development along a path that culminates in a novel understanding of the relationship between politics and life.

Although the concept of institutio vitae originated in Roman law, it was Machiavelli who first conceived of politics as an instituent force. After Spinoza endowed the social imaginary with the capacity to institute relational life, Hegel was the first to view the âobjective spiritâ as the space in which society and state are structured by institutional dynamics. However, in the Hegelian system it is the same dialectic â" as an infinite process in which ideas materialize in reality â" that expresses instituent power. Only by drawing from these modern roots, argues Esposito, can contemporary thought recognize the movement of institutions as the strategic nexus where the languages of philosophy, anthropology and politics intersect on a new horizon of meaning.

This book completes the inquiry that Esposito began with Instituting Thought and Institution, offering a fresh view of the philosophical tradition from an instituent perspective. It will appeal to students and academics in philosophy and the humanities generally, and to anyone interested in contemporary philosophy and cultural theory.

Industry Reviews

"In a mesmerizing journey that begins with Roman law and ends with twentieth-century institutional thinkers, Esposito asks us to re-imagine institutions for the twenty-first century – not as mere infrastructures for supporting life, but as the very condition for life today. An essential book."
Timothy Campbell, Cornell University

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