Nietzsche and the Politics of Reaction

This book is intended as a major interdisciplinary contribution to the study of Nietzsche's thought in particular, and the political right more generally. Historically the assessment of Nietzsche's 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 Nietzsche's 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 far right authors and activists like Aleksandr Dugin and Steve Bannon.

Matthew McManus completed his Ph.D. in Socio-Legal Studies at York University, Ontario, in 2017 under the supervision of Dr. Lesley Jacobs. After completing his postdoctoral research and working on the Committee for International Justice and Accountability, Matthew assumed a Professorship teaching politics, international relations and law at Tec de Monterrey in the State of Mexico. Matthew McManus teaches at the University of Calgary and is the author of The Rise of Post-Modern Conservatism amongst other books.