The Sovereign's Body: Metaphors of the Third between Politics and Religion
CERES Palais, room "Ruhrpott" (4.13)
David Atwood (ZRWP, Zürich)
"The Sovereign's Body: Metaphors of the Third between Politics and Religion"
The metaphor of the sovereign’s body—whether embodied by the king or the people—has persisted in Western thought for centuries. Historian Ernst Kantorowicz famously distinguished between two aspects of the king's body: the "body natural" and the sublime, eternal "body politic." While his work has profoundly influenced scholarship on medieval and early modern sovereignty, questions remain regarding the continuity of the "body politic" in the context of modern sovereignty. This paper addresses these questions by exploring the concept of a "Third" within this metaphorical framework. Drawing on Lacanian psychoanalysis and cultural studies, and synthesizing insights from Pierre Legendre and Eric Santner, this analysis proposes a new perspective on the "Third" as a bridge between politics and religion.
