The Anarchist before the Law: Law without Authority

— —

Saul Newman (Professor, Goldsmiths, University of London) Massimo La Torre (Professor of Philosophy of Law, University of Catanzaro, Italy)

The Anarchist before the Law

Law without Authority

Saul Newman (Professor, Goldsmiths, University of London), Massimo La Torre (Professor of Philosophy of Law, University of Catanzaro, Italy)

$57.99

Paperback

Not in-store but you can order this
How long will it take?

Availability Information

We source books from suppliers in Australia and overseas. For books we don't currently have in stock, the time it takes to get them from our suppliers can vary widely - from a few days to a few months - so we check each book with each supplier to determine the expected time it will take to be supplied to us.

We then advise you accordingly. If the time taken to get any book is too long for you, you can let us know and we will cancel or adjust your order, and refund as required.

To find out the anticipated arrival time for specific items prior to ordering, please contact us by phone or email:

Phone +61 2 9264 3111, or 1800 4 BOOKS (1800 4 26657) if outside Sydney:
option 1 Abbey's Bookshop (Crime, History, Science, Kids & more) • info@abbeys.com.au
option 2 Language Book Centre (ESL & Foreign Languages) • language@abbeys.com.au
option 3 Galaxy Bookshop (Sci-fi, Fantasy, Romance, Graphic Novels) • sf@galaxybooks.com.au

QTY:

English

Edinburgh University Press
31 December 2025

Philosophy; Social & political philosophy; History of ideas; Social issues & processes; Jurisprudence & philosophy of law

Series: Encounters in Law & Philosophy

When might an anarchist need a good lawyer? Why do radical activists committed to revolutionary change often have to work within the limits of the law? Can a judge also be an anarchist? This book is an exploration of a paradoxical, yet necessary, encounter between anarchism and the law. Anarchism offers the most radical critique of the principle of legal authority and, as such, poses essential questions that legal philosophy must respond to regarding political obligation and the legitimacy of coercion. At a time when the law is in a state of crisis, it becomes crucial to interrogate its founding principles and ethical limits. Through an exploration of the anarchist tradition, and engaging with contemporary continental and analytical approaches to questions of jurisprudence, state sovereignty, violence, civil disobedience and human rights, this book develops an original anarchist theory of legal institutionalism and a concept of law without authority and coercion.

By: Saul Newman (Professor Goldsmiths University of London), Massimo La Torre (Professor of Philosophy of Law, University of Catanzaro, Italy)
Imprint: Edinburgh University Press
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 216mm, Width: 138mm,
ISBN: 9781399513197
ISBN 10: 1399513192
Series: Encounters in Law & Philosophy
Pages: 280
Publication Date: 31 December 2025
Audience: College/higher education , Further / Higher Education
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Saul Newman is Professor in Political Theory at Goldsmiths, University of London. His research is in continental and poststructuralist political and social theory, and contemporary radical politics. He is the author of: From Bakunin to Lacan (2001); Power and Politics in Poststructuralist Thought (2005); Unstable Universalities (2007); Politics Most Unusual (2008); The Politics of Postanarchism (2010); and Max Stirner (2011). Massimo La Torre is Professor of Philosophy of Law at the University of Catanzaro, Italy, and Visiting Professor of European law at the University of Tallinn, Estonia.

Reviews for The Anarchist before the Law: Law without Authority

The book opens a new page of the philosophical-political debate, deconstructing the traditional antithesis between anarchy and institutions. Interpreted in a radical way, they share a common distance from the sovereign paradigm. As the instituting praxis incorporates an anarchist element, anarchism tends to institute a community free from sovereign commands. --Roberto Esposito, Scuola Normale Superiore, Italy