The Royal Remains: The People's Two Bodies and the Endgames of Sovereignty

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Exploring the intersection of sovereignty and the human body, Eric L. Santner examines how the rituals of kingship persist in contemporary democratic societies. He argues that the "carnal" aspects of sovereignty have shifted to the populace, where the legacy of royal authority manifests in the psyche and physicality of modern individuals. By connecting influential thinkers like Freud and Kafka, Santner reinterprets the implications of modernity, highlighting the transition from subjecthood to secular citizenship and its impact on politics, psychoanalysis, and literature.