Abstract

As an alternative to an instrumentalist view of the natural world in political practices and institutions—a view that conceives of nature as an aggregated of resources to merely serve human interests and needs—this article advances an account of a new politics for a more-than-human world. It proposes a different understanding of the nonhuman within the sphere of the political which both impacts upon the extension of the political community—who should be included in the demos—as well as upon the use and application of traditional political concepts—e.g., sovereignty, representation, legitimacy and authority. It is argued that these theoretical developments characterize a new politics and are, in the light of current environmental challenges, a necessary first step towards a genuine transformation of state policies and practices for our more-than-human political communities.