Overview
Region
Central Africa
Cameroon
Era
Contemporary
Language
French
Genre
Philosophy
About This Work
Mbembe's landmark philosophical work examining postcolonial African politics — the aesthetics of power, the grotesque performance of authority, and the relationship between the state and its subjects.
Literary Significance
One of the most cited works in African studies; introduced 'necropolitics' — the sovereign's power to dictate who may live and who must die