States of political discourse

"States of Political Discourse addresses essays that engage a range of political conditions and practices, exploring areas that are conventionally neglected. Topics include the representation of the state in Machiavelli's play Mandragola, the language of normal and pathological states in psychoanalysis, the mythography of Europe, the political reification of the Himalayan region, the status of the Knights of St. John, the spirituality of cosmopolitanism, and the literary exploration of diplomacy and security."--Jacket.