Four Times of Politics: Policy, Polity, Politicking, and Politicization Author(s): Kari Palonen Reviewed work(s): Source: Alternatives:

Global, Local, Political, Vol. 28, No. 2, Politics Revisited (Mar.-May 2003), pp. 171-186 Published by: Sage Publications, Inc. Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/40645073 . Accessed: 10/04/2012 03:59
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Alternatives 28 (2003h 171-186

FourTimes ofPolitics: Polity, Policy, Politicking, and Politicization

KariPalonen*
There isjust one noun corresponding to the adjective in political Finnishand so on, whilethe English French,German,Swedish, and politics. Here, I shalltakethe languagehas three: policy, polity, division of the as a point of tripartite Englishpolit-vocabulary in for a mode. The departure rethinking politics "de-centering" us with a into the Englishvocabulary provides glimpse linguistic fortheformation ofdifferent from which possibilities perspectives to conceptualize politics. I have modified the tripartite division intoaccount bytaking twolinguistic and is novelties, politicking politicization.1 Myintention to takeeach of thesenouns as an allusionto fouraspectsof conpolitics.In addition,twodifferent ceptualizing conceptsof poli- namely, tics and have been politics-as-sphere politics-as-activity, used since the nineteenth the first a commonly century, indicating and the second a mode of Here, spatial temporal conceptualizing. I am exclusively in theconceptofpolitics-as-activity, interested and, I willsearchforthe temporal consequently, opportunities present in thefourpolit-nouns. In this refers to theregulating horizon, conceptual policy aspect ofpolitics, alludesto a performative politicking aspect, polity implies a metaphorical and limits, while space withspecificpossibilities marks an openingof something as political, as "playpoliticization able." Policy-politicking and polity-politicization form twoconceptualpairs.In thesphere-concept, thecoreofpolitics is occupiedby theborders and regulations of the polity-policy space,whereasin theactivity-concept is constituted of politics bythe "verbal" figures and politicking. politicization
*SocialSciences and Philosophy/Political Science,P.O.B. 35, MaB,FIN 40014UniofJyvskyl, Finland, versity kpalonen@cc.jyu.fi

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I will speculatehere on the conceptualpossibilities of this is To consider the times of to the vocabulary. politics conceptualize and to do so in a mannerthat fluidand disorderly, contingent, does not a priori reduce the contingency of politicsthrough the thevery act ofconceptualizing. Here,timeconstitutes activity very It is a mediumthrough whichto rendera fluidactivity ofpolitics: as politics. intelligible A Weberian Politicsas Activity: Perspective Politicsis both a time-consuming and a time-playing We activity. withtimein politics, can thusdistinguish twomodes of playing time(timein politics)and the operative the background namely or playground-time and playmedium-time. time(timeof politics), and implicaI willattempt to read the temporal presuppositions from the nominalistic tionsof politicsas activity, perdeparting on politics, in MaxWeber's famous formulas as expressed spective, I wantto continueWeber's In otherwords, and struggle. power, the of byprogrammatically explicating conceptualization politics of dimension the concept. temporal Let me beginwith Weber'smainproposalfortheunderstandin a longerand shorter in Politik version: als Beru, ingofpolitics nachMachtanteil fr unsalso heien: Streben 'Politik' wrde ... derMachtverteilung odernachBeeinflussung Macht.2 erstrebt Wer Politik treibt, and Treiben refer to a The verbalexpressions Streben, Erstreben, the oriented Politics is toward existing changing activity. temporal is a negative an ofpolitics The temporality stateofaffairs. finality, has no is. As an of of that which rid activity, politics activity getting Thisis thepropertemporal"above"itself. substantive or purposes detertoward of doing,oriented changebut not in an already ity mineddirection. thatstriving forpower Weberinsists Withhis briefformula, Poweris a foractingpolitically. condition {Macht)is a necessary whichone can act and onlythrough medium of politics, through, to powerlessfor is doomed not strive He who does power politically. ofpolthe and inactivity. Power ness{Ohnmacht) expresses openness leads to thenext fornewpowershares and striving iticsas striving, decisionone musttake:whatto do withtheseshares.In orderto famous letus examine Weber's this understand better, power-formula
in Wirtschaft und Gesellschaft.

Kari Valonen 173

bedeutet innerhalb einer sozialen Macht Beziehung, jede Chance, auchgegenWiderstreben den eigenen Willen durchzusetzen, dieChance beruht. worauf gleichviel in theWeberian ofhuman As with all theconcepts vocabulary is As a actionsand relationships, power c/mwce-concept.such, it character of itis "only" the politics-as-activity, expresses contingent to do something. It an occasion,or an opportunity a possibility, to act of but does not how within a horizon action, specify opens chancesrefer to possibilithishorizon.In a temporal perspective, tiesthatare presentand "real"in the experienceof the persons is forpolitical a whilethe"realized reality" agents acting politically, result of struggles. contingent pastpolitical inWeber's nominalistic view ofpolitics, consists of "Power," only and their distribution the "shares" {Machtanteile) (Machtverteilung). - refers - as opposed to Aktie to an The Germanconceptof Anteil in whichevery With agenthas someAnteile. egalitarian enterprise, his conception, Webergivesevery politicalagentsome sharesof - without whichhe or she could not act politically. Nobody power nor are thosewho who "strives forpower"is entirely powerless, butrather is a relative matresist thisstriving omnipotent, "power" ofshares." terofthe "distribution sourcesof power, therecan be some paradigmatic Although into a powershare.The thereis no obstacleto turning anything resources of power, and eventhe recourse to lackof conventional the sheerexistenceof agents,can in principlebe turnedinto a it concernsthe relapowershare.Whenpoliticsconcernspower, of between different different manshares, tionships types power ners of distribution betweenthem,as well as the relationship ofpowershares. between thesametypes also indicates a limit-situation. "To realWeber's power-formula ize one's ownwill" refers to a in situation which neither the namely chances The nor the has left. latter has been agent "patient" any buttheagent'swillis excludedfrom agency, playedout ofpolitics, also turned intoan existing "fact" and as suchcan no longerbe an Weber'sviewof poweras a chance thus object of her strivings. excludesa complete realization of the "will." In thissense,thefigure of intentional resistance to the attempted real(Widerstreben) izationof a willalso marks the difference humanagents' between resistance and mechanical obstacles to therealization ofthe "will." In theWeberian chance is perspective, any arising temporary, onlyon specificoccasions and havingonly a limitedduration. Time is also something thatcan be turnedinto a chance,into a shareofpowerin a relationship with Time as source otheragents. of powermeansthe disposabletimeof the politicalagent,which

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In addition as a "player." allowshera certain sovereignty temporal which are available disto these"absolute" through powerchances, whichare we can speakof "relative" powerchances, posable time, of the players, relatedto the comparative ability usingtimeas a foritsuse as a Evenwhentimeis scarceand themargins resource. in thecomof actionare small,thedifferences factor background and playing withthe petenceof usingtimemaygain significance, in a instance can be turned intoa decisive of temporality margins struggle. political notonly ofthecontingency of Chancen The political dimension also to of acted otherwise but refers to theformal having possibility in for their ofpluralagents thepresence strivings power. conflicting in terms ofitsresults, is something Politics as Streben unpredictable and the oftheexisting situation bothbecauseof thesheerfacticity of an intentional of Widerstreben, activity against the presence here shares. We can to new distinguish between power attempt gain of struggle. This offacticity and thecontingency thecontingency in und which is concept explicated Wirtschaft Gesellschaft, explicitly somepageslater. as thepower-formula uses thesamevocabulary alsdasHaninsoweit solleinesoziale heissen, Beziehung Kampf deseigenen Willens derDurchsetzung delnan derAbsicht gegen orientiert ist. desoderderPartner Widerstand als Kampf Weber'sPolitik topos does not indicatea zero-sum ofthetypes ofpowershares and mutability game,buttheplurality in whichthe agentsare also an open contest, renderthe struggle forpower theirstriving viewsand redirect obligedto revisetheir theopposingpolitical shares. The struggle is,in the agents against he instanceof politics.In particular, a "moving" Weberian view, are in a paraals Berufhowin politicsthe results in Politik writes ofanyof theparticipants. to theintentions doxicalrelation nicht nher zu begrnhier undeine-jetzt Es istdurchaus wahr - Grundtatsache Resultat dasschliessliche aller dende Geschichte, in nein: Handelns oft, unadequatem, vllig regelmssig, politischen zu seinem Verhltnis in geradezu oft ursprnglichen paradoxem Sinn steht.5 dramaof the unanticipated The situational consequencesof both Time modifies is constitutive ofpolitics. actions(Nebenfolgen) between and therelations theprojects ofagents struggling agents, in time-playing oftheability consists whiletherelative competence The political as a specialkindof Chancen.6 to use Nebenfolgen point

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is to turnthescarcemargins of time-playing intoopportunities in thechanging constellations. in It is nowpossibleto reformulate thefouraspectsofpolitics terms. Politicization namesa shareofpower, Weberian opensa specifiedhorizonof chances in termsof thisshare,whilepoliticking in the struggle forpowerwiththe meansperformative operations shares and their redistribution. refersto Polity alreadyexisting been politicized thosepowersharesthat havealready buthavealso a kindofvested interest thattacitly excludesotherkindsof created meansa regulation and coordination ofperforwhilepolicy shares, ends and means. The mative next operations byspecific stepscona temporal of each of them. sistofoutlining interpretation TimesofPolicy So-called"policy neverposes thequestionofwhatconstianalysis" tutesa "policy"and its political significance. Despite this,we is to be understood shouldask:Whatkindof politics bymeansof and are its what "policy" temporal implications? A policyrefers to a direction of activities, to a line, project, or doctrine. a connoplan,program, Policyhas, thus, teleological an orientation toward the is which considered to be tation, future, a priority over the presentstateof affairs as well as the activity In addition, itself. has a normative character in as a criterion policy the selectionof whatshouldbe realizedamongpossiblefutures. The construction of a policysignifies the inclusion and coordinationof different are whichthey acts,movesor measures, through turned intotherelative ofactivities, In addition, intoa policy. unity a policypresupposesa criterion ofjudgmentthatregulatesthe inclusion and exclusionof activities, and degreesof coorditypes nation,and so on. Thus,we can call a policya complexof inclusion and coordination of measuresinto a projectunifiedwitha line." name,suchas "thePaasikivi-Kekkonen The normative and the teleologicalorientations of a policy remainopposed to one other.A limiting case is Realpolitik,7 in whichthe realizability of a line is turnedintoa quasi-norm. Conwe can speakoffixed"moral" aimsupheldindependently versely, of their These twosituations markthelimits of a polrealizability. of a policy is turned intoa doccase, theflexibility icy.In thefirst trine ofpassive whilein theoppositecase thepolicy is adaptation, limited to a declaration ofdesirability. we mayclaimthat both Still, of themmayalso contribute if used conto a change in affairs as political sciously strategies.

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none of the agentscan perfectly In theWeberian perspective, realize a policyestablished priorto action.This is not acknowlhas ifa "government" of "policy making," edged in the discourse a The times"conducting" therelevant powershares. monopolized as be bestunderstood as a mode of politics, can, however, policy, of anypolicy. intolimited realizability beingshapedbytheinsight be calintothe policyitself and deviations How can the revisions meanfortheformation culated? Whatdoes thelimited realizability ofa policy? and acceptance on the cona policydoes not thusrelymerely Understanding breakthe use of a but makes line or of a temporal project, tinuity drathe more fixed the more it. The within is, policy ing points is needed,in thedeviations willbe and themoreimprovision matic aimsofa givenpolorderto achieveat leastsomeof theintended theconfronta"before" can be detected Such breaking points icy. of the inclusion either the tionwith otherpolicies, measures, by by thecona "After" them or between bynaming policy. coordinating modifibetweenad hoccorrections, frontation we can distinguish The on the and and revisions cations, teleologiup policy. giving meansthat, ofthepolicy-time cal character up untilthelastpoint, to to be subordinated of the breakare understood the elements ofa project. or consistence coherence theinternal A lack of policyis commonly regardedas chaoticand, correbe betterthan no policy.This is held to any policy spondingly, overdisconof thecontinuity the relies on superiority assumption the understand is to that it thesis is in possible My tinuity politics. the in also when instruments heuristic as rejecting politics policies to their in relation policies Temporalizing assumption. continuity of their intelligibility. breaking pointsthenbecomesa condition on thepower-shares are In Weberian terms, policies dependent strivbe related. all policy aimsmust as chancesto which However, cerof chances the at aims for realizing improving always ing power in formulated tainpurposes(Zwecke) policies.Relatingpolicyto means ex visible the of thechances power, Nebenfolgen, post including a of dimensions and normative thatthe policy presupteleological fixation of the horizonof chances.An a priori pose an assessment be shouldalways is notideal,buta degreeofrevisability ofa policy for policy. provided anycomprehensive ofpolofthistype character Due to thenormative-teleological in a certain with cannot a itics, policy continuity time. dispense line or projectis consistent a situation the actual by Transcending the that we the condition on acknowledge valueofconlegitimate relative to different as breaking points.Dealingwiththese tinuity also alludes to to their relations and continuity breaking points

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thepolicy-type. The alternative ofpoliticking thattranscend forms but of of a relianceon ad hoc measures to policy does not consist ofpoliticking thatis notregulated a type bynormative-teleological overthepresent. of thefuture or thepriority criteria, TimesofPoliticking in literaamountof attention has receiveda minimal Politicking it refers to a tureon theconceptofpolitics, although keyaspectin The neglect of politicking of politics-as-activity. theunderstanding the title wasoriginally relatedto thefactthatPolitics is historically and in mostEuropeanlanguages ofa discipline,8 acting politically
treiben or fairede la politique. is expressed byformulassuch as Politik

a In theEnglishneologism and theFinnish politikoida, politicking suffices. word single in theunderstanding ofpoliticking we As a pointofdeparture idea ofa praxis, which has itsaimin itself, can taketheAristotelian externalaims.A whichis orientedtoward as opposed to poiesis, of poliof thisidea is HannahArendt's modern version metaphor ofthevirtuartthatisjudged bythecriterion ticsas a performing oftheperformance: osity as flute-playing, TheGreeks usedsuch metaphors dancing, always from todistinguish other andseafaring activities, political healing inwhich drew their from those arts the that isthat they analogies of is decisive. virtuosity performance In thelanguageofthespeechact theory, consists of politicking is never to be judged by its Politics-as-activity performatives. "results" alone, even ifwe countitsunanticipated consequences. consists ofasking notonlywhat shouldbe done but Or,politicking also how to do it. relieson availablepowershares as a performance Politicking in orderto increasethe relative in theirdistribution. advantages The Weberianconcept of Chancecontains a gradationof the ofchances,although to the onlyas analogy degreesofrealizability theanalogy ofprobabilities.11 For theagent, the calculus explicates is no a priori character ofchoices:there reasonforchoosing a more cautious alternative overa riskier one, or viceversa.The keyoperconsistof choosingbetweendifferent ationsof politicking types and degreesof chances, whichthenlead to different of perstyles The simplest concerns theopposition formances. variation between of politicking. More generally, cautiousand daringstyles we can

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for example betweentheatrical, speak of genresof politicking, or dance-related ofpoliticking, ofcomicand filmic, musical, styles thedramatic between and epic variants of tragic genresofpolitics, theatrical politicking. When a policyconsistsof coordinatedmeasuresthat have sourcesand limits in time,politicking consists of performances thatare bothtime-consuming and time-playing In addition events. to an origin and an end,politicking has a duration and rhythm of itsown,as do theperforming arts.Thiscan be viewed as an extension of the presenttimein politicking into a performative unity thatcannotbe measured consumed time, but,in a sense,interby thetimelapse fortheduration of theperformance. The virrupts of the is its to convene the tuosity performance judged by capacity of the of an extended as impression temporal autonomy present an internal timeofpoliticking. The continuousmomentsof politicking consistof perforthatcannotbe rehearsed mances,of oblique or queer activities, in advancebut presuppose and taking of improvisation advantage the detailsof the ongoingsituation. If the core of the policyis understood to consistof dealingwiththe breaking point of the it marks a in limit-situation which theconticontinuity, politicking nuitiesappear as regulations of the improvised of performance politicking. a performance can only takeplace in thepresent, this Although is not similar to the artistic instantaneous, but, present perforitcontains internal with chancesto break mance, rhythms temporal from common-sense in politicking views. The stylistic alternatives in havedifferent for the of implications, example temporal rhythms to each genreor style. movement characteristic artistic By exaggerationthese"aesthetic" also illustrate chances categories temporal and modesofusingthem, which couldalso be utilized in thecloser ofmoreconventional forms ofpoliticking. interpretation The dual temporality ofcontinuous and discontinuous is aspects thusofequal importance forbothpoliticking and policy, although forpoliticking of performance the present is the tempus and the ofitsvirtuosity. Thisintroduces, a second mark dual temhowever, that of time extension of between the and the namely porality, lapse in the performing the present event.The temporality of performancemustthusbe interrelated to the interruption of the timethe and the extended of lapse by present reappearance thistimeat the limits of the The and thequality lapse performance. specificity ofpoliticking consists ofdealing with bothoftheseaspects oftime. In politicking, theaimsto whichpoliciesare oriented serveas in thestruggle instruments forpower. The limited of realizability

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whichcan be turnedinto a the policies marksa limit-situation, as comor at leastintoa relative sourceofnewchances, advantage and ofsimilar limits theencounter byone's adversaries paredwith be should therefore theirpolicies.The judgmentof politicking in the competenceto deal withthe extendedto the virtuosity In thissense,politickand ends of the performances. beginnings ofactivities, notin orderto thecoordination ing,too,presupposes of the extension of the event-character them but as an regulate interconnections and disconnections to the simpleperformances between performances. Timesof Polity has referredto a metaphoricalspace that Traditionally, polity In terms otherspheres. of the "political demarcates sphere"from that has as a can be considered temporalized space activity, polity been politicizedand commonly accepted as political,and that In from that whichis not acceptedas political. demarcates activity of can be viewed as a other words, resulting polity Spielraum activity, and established to theextent that itat from politicizations previous as an obstacleofnewpoliticizations. leasttacitly serves to a complexin whichthe In Weberianterms, polityrefers into and illegitimate ones. Cershares are divided legitimate power others have tain powershareshave gained privileged positions, to create fadedawayand appear as anachronistic, whileattempts of the new ones are viewedwithsuspicion.The "core"Spielraum forpoliticking. Forexample, as a paradigm thepublicserves polity as a resultof contingent, can be interpreted dichotomy private as opposed to a demarcawell-established, politicizations although tionbetweentwospheres.In namingthe polity, such epithets as or "strict" sense of thepoliticalsimilarly the "ordinary," "proper," function as historical criteria oflegitimating theestablished polity ofpowershares. as opposedto theconcurrent horizons and temporalcharacter of the polity the historical However, meansthatthe "central" of the legitimate is conSpielraum polity undermined due to theshifting of the sources significance stantly in thesituation. or demarcations ofpower on thelimits of Disputes and contingently formed the historically also contribute to polity thereinterpretation of the "core"of thepolity. an instability The struggle forpowerintroduces to theformaThe invention tionof a polity as a horizonof politicking. of new of humanagencyor new topicson the agenda, new dimensions ofpoliticking are liable to destabilize thepolity, not only practices

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itsmargins butalso in theinterpretation ofwhatis essential within in it.Although and decisive thesenovelties are viewed withsuspican be mixedwith old ones and in thiswayundermine cion,they theirestablished character. Thus, it is impossibleto renderthe established to new politicizations, even among polity"immune" thosewhoin principle as a legitimate accepttheestablished polity "regime." of timeitself; we can also speak of the polity as a Moreover, is also a time-regime. The character of metaphorical space,a polity the chances (power shares) illustrates a temporally understood It is notonlycharacterized or,rather, Spielzeit. Spielraum, bythelimitsoftheavailabletimebutalso bythespecification of thespecific occasionswithin thisSpielzeitraum. The politicalcompetence contheextremities ofthelegitimate sists bothofplaying with timeand of gainingan insight into the specific of the timeopportunities regime. and bythe controlled Parliamentary politics, bytheelectorate within the parliament, clearly signigovernment-opposition-game fiesa time-oriented regime.The complexof parliamentary pracofopportunities and controls, both ticesis shapedbythepresence not only"in time"but also "bytime."The of thembeing limited of chancesof thegovernment to rule are shaped by varioustypes the of distinctions, temporal by periodization governmental politicsto times ofhighand lowcontrol bytheopposition respectively bytheelectorate. A specific calendarof parliamentary politicswas successively from Generalelections introduced theeighteenth onward. century rid of or reare decisivein termsthe chances of eithergetting in formation the parliaa The electing government. government the the the to overthrow ment, interpellations government, annual theelections of chairpersons and commitdebateson thebudget, of the decisions over the session the tees, periodsand on length of a of speechesmarkthe maininstances themaximum duration of the calendar contain The events parliamentary temporal polity. its excellencein polito manifest occasionsforthe government to manifestations. and for the these ticking opposition question Walter "Nurin Terminen rechnet der wahrePolitiker," wrote better in He understood than his Einbahnstrasse.13 many Benjamin to playwithtime,in thiscase with othershow crucialthe ability Whenconsidering time is in politics. one's own"calendar events," we as a decisivecriterion of parliamentary politicking, dispense or of "the of the "right" of certainpersons, withthe mythologies On all rulers are to to rule. the contrary, subject temporal people" control by elections and parliamentary procedures.Even the

Palonen 181 Kari

confirmed reelection ofa government repeatedly appearsas suspiofelectoral forthetemcious,despitethecorrectness procedures, an alternation in govporalcalendarof thepolity tacitly presumes ernment as a condition of avoiding the monopolizing tendencies overthesharesofgovernmental power. thepolitical chancesand their control Regulating bytemporal is an advantage of parliamentary measures overdirect democracy A simplerotation in office, to theAthenian democracy. according model and its imitations in the United (Jacksonian democracy States and theGermanGreensin the 1980s),also tendsto devaluate thepolitical thatis so inherent to democracy. Simcompetition the old ideal of elections" tends to diminish the ilarly, "frequent chancesofgovernments to use their shares and facilitate the power control the the without need to construct a by opposition, policy alternative. The parliamentary illustrates an ideal type of temporal regime In nominalistic should be understood as any terms, polity. "polity" of and not as a shares, specific regime power single"political system."We can thusspeak of street name polity, university polity, travel and so on, whichtogether do not constitute a whole, polity, buta complexmyriad ofinterconnected and disconnected polities and otherlimits. If a single transcending juridical,geographical, has a calendarofitsown,theinterconnectedness ofthepolipolity ties can, rather, be understoodby the metaphorof a political the trains and theirnames,stations, and contimetable, showing nections. As times are politically no exact can controversial, timing be given, and thevery mode of constructing timetables is political contestable and constantly As within a changing. such,politicking of would of consist the complex polities largely competenceto read and applytimetables. Timesof Politicization The word"politicization" wasfirst used in Germanin 1907,when the historian Karl Lamprecht derGesellspoke of diePolitisierung in theharmless senseof increasing theinterest in schaft, although was soon turnedinto a more however, politics.The neologism, offensive viewofpoliticization as a perspectivistic reinterpretation ofa phenomenon, literati Kurt especially amongtheexpressionist Hillerand Ludwig Rubiner. To speakofpoliticization in thissense of creating a new Spielzeitraum forthe activity of politicking, renderedit open to alternatives and controversies and contributed to the rethinking of the conceptof politics.Such a rethinking took

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thetwofirst decadesofthetwentieth cenplace in Germany during while in English and politisation in French seemto tury, politicization havebeen introduced theinterwar era.14 onlyduring thusmeansneitherthejuxtapositions of Here, politicization with nor theincreased"interest in politics" things politics among certain we can marka phenomInstead, persons. bypoliticization enon as political,as a Spielzeitraum forcontingent action.Politicizationthusrefers to the act of naming as political, something the acceptanceof this includingthe controversies surrounding Thereis no politics "before" in a logeither naming. politicization, ical or a temporalsense, and politicking is possible only if a has been opened foractionbypoliticization, whilea Spielzeitraum is a result of it seems Still, polity previous politicizations. equally to identify initialor originalpoliticizations, forthe unnecessary of what can be considered be to a is question politicization dependenton theperspective ofinterpretation. If a polity is a result ofspecific we cannotrefer politicizations, to a proper or ordinary sense of politics;politicization has no matter. in While human life can be subject quasi-natural nothing excludedfrom it a demands and politicization, always specific conto politicizesomething centrated effort new,to createa Spielzeitforwhichno established of politicking are availraum, practices able. Politicization has to be more than a declarationand must at leastsomeindications theforms ofpoliticking provide regarding thatare opened bythespecific moves. politicizing Politicization can be an invention, a construction of chances with to which no chances were seen or admitted previously respect to haveexisted. Thissortofinvention the construction of requires a newperspective that renders to different: The femthings appear inistslogan "thepersonalis political," coined in the late 1960s, - German than it did then seems todayto be less of a novelty similar in for views the early expressionists, example,proposed a for both twentieth it new horizon Still, opened century. acting as a concept, and thematizing whichcould then politically politics be used in different and evenopposing ways. In anotherperspective, means detectingthe politicization or processes. It of some shifts, changes, political potential existing will be based on analyzingthe resultsor effects of long term whichrendersome alleged "necessities" or "impossibilichanges, ties"obsolete and use these changesin order to declare a new foraction.Claimsthat "order" canwithout Spielzeitraum something not be upheld or "lawsof nature"cannotbe violated, and so on, have been politicized in the sense of beingrenderedobsoleteby the without For example,the creating "impossible" catastrophes.

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forextending first had to overcome the suffrage arguments always resistance ofsuchan "impossibility." The distinction theinventive and disruptive moments of between is relative. Without somedisruptive processes against politicization toimagine theold order madevisible, itis difficult invention already horizonof of politicization thatis not a realizable of a perspective ofchances, as an unintended result oferosive chances. The detection in theperspective. shift alludesto a tacit changes, already a calendarexists, with Whenan established polity politicization eitherintroduces new itemsto it, whichalter the relationships the existing items.The introbetween ones, or dismisses existing ductioncan concerna newtopicon the annual agenda,or a new and thuschanging thesignificance of train added to thetimetable A moreradicalpoliticization could consistof otherconnections. intothecalendar, the theintroduction ofa newdimension putting The "the items into a new perspective. slogan personalis existing such a shift in theperprecisely politicizing political" represented the of the of conventional primacy parliaspective questioning it obviously was although mentary-governmental-partisan politics, alterthe calendarand timetables, thatis, the unable to radically The politicization oflifestyles connections to the"old"politics. has from the traditional remained disconnected modesof politicking as opposedto altering themor making use oftherichexperiences in in parliamentary order to constructanalogies for politics lifestyle politicking. In orderto better understand thehistorical sequencesofpoliticould make a of Koselleck's we use of tempocizations, metaphor ral layers.15 Politicization both names a novelty againstan establishedand sedimented and creates links between historical practice of politicization, whenthe previousones have been establayers to suchan extent and spatialized thattheir hislished, naturalized, toricalsignificance as politicizing moments has been lost or misof politicization The rhetoric represented. perhapsrequiresthe of an established as a space of stagnating and simplification polity itsspecific oridiscriminating practices byneglecting politicizing the breakand novelty. A radicalizing ginsin orderto dramatize effect be achievedthrough can,however, reinterpreting history by forms of politicization thathave been forgotten or accentuating in the establishedpolity. Even if politicization inmarginalized in thefuture, creasestheavailableSpielzeitraum it also presupposes a redescription or an Umschreibung o thepast.15 In thissense,the of a past in the present16 figureof "actualization" Benjaminian remains an indispensable resource in the conceptualizatemporal tionofpoliticizations.

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It to politicking. has a dual relationship Thus, politicization and makessomeold ones creates newSpielzeitraume simultaneously in a given situation. we can speakofa second obsolete Additionally, thedifferent ofpolitiwhichdealswith orderofpoliticking, layers in time, cizations.This politicking operateswithdiscontinuities createsa relationbetweena radical break in the presentand a some anathatprovides recourseto the older past as something in logical resourceswitha sortof renaissanceor rehabilitation theradicalbreakin thepresent. orderto accentuate Conclusions and theadversity and counter-finalis able to master time, Nobody limitson any further of actions constitutive places political ity the cortime. The classical to master alternative, taming attempts of a the of time virt, appears by creating space fortuna ruptive time it cannot understand unrealistic; todayto be increasingly to means force. To playwith otherthanas an erosive contingency activities but also limits of time not marks that political accept only as their medium. It is forthispurposethatthenuancesof serves the polit-vocabulary provideus withsome hintsas to howto deal instance as time. with sucha fluidand concept-escaping as a correlate between is understood Politics as presented here, and and while twoactivities, polity policy politicization politicking, searches Politicization limit-situations. refer to their"regulating" in the increase aims at the whilepoliticking fornewpowershares, of either of use ones. Agents overtheexisting making disposition and to theotherone as wellas to thepast refer theseperformatives temindicates Thisreference future ofthesameoperation. variants simulwhile chancesof revision highlighting poral discrepancies, in timebetween a new relative continuity taneously constituting and politicization. forms ofbothpoliticking historical thesequence continuity, although disrupts Every politicization in of novela series a second orderof continuity of breaksforms contains a ofpoliticking. mediated ties, Politicking bythepractices horithe which is singularized shifting by continuity, performative use of analogiesto previand bythe critical zons of politicization and politickIn thissense,politicization ous forms of politicking. merelapse with the a break each in a different manner, ingsignify, erosive force as an can be assessedboth of time, however, which, in them and as a temofthechancesinvolved to thelimits alluding and in challengeto be enclosed politicking politiporalplay-limit both of continuity, As an interruption of play. cizationas element

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of theseperformative markan autonomization of the operations Politicization marks a moment, notjust an instance, buta present. newhorizonof chances,whichcan be utilizedwithin a range of whilepoliticking a performance, whichis singular time, signifies ofitsown. duration yethas a relative Notes
1. I continuehere the thought in KariPaloexperiment presented FromPolicyand Polity to Politicking and Politicizanen, "Introduction: tion" in Kari Palonen and Tuija Parvikko, eds., ReadingthePolitical Finnish Political ScienceAssociation, (Helsinki: 1993), pp. 6-16. Accordvol. 16 (Oxford:ClarendonPress ing to the Oxford English Dictionary, and "politicization" seem to have been 1989), p. 34, both "politicking" coinedno earlier thanduring theinterwar period. 2. Both quotationsare fromMax Weber,Politik als Beruf [1919], Schluchter, Beruf Hg. Wolfgang pp. 35-88,at p. 36. 3. MaxWeber, undGesellschaft Winck[1922],Hg.Johannes Wirtschaft elmann(Tbingen: Mohr, 1980),28. 4. Ibid.,p. 20. 5. Weber, Politik als Beruf, note2, pp. 75-76. Weber "Die 'Objektivitt' sozialwissenschaftlicher und sozialpolitischer Winckelmann Mohr, 1973),pp. 146-214, Johannes (Tbingen: esp. 149-150. 7. Ine term wascoinedbyL. A. von Rochauin 1853,cf.his Grundstze der Ullstein, (1853,1869) (Frankfurt: 1972). Realpolitik 8. Forthehistory ofthetransition from thediscipline conceptto the in Germany and France, see KariPalonen, Politik alsHandactivity concept
Horizontwandel des Politikbegriffs in Deutschland 1890-1933 lungsbegriff: derPolitik als Phnomen: Eine Interpretation derGeschichte desBegriffs tisierung Politikim Frankreich des 20. Jahrhunderts (Helsinki: Societas Scientiarum Erkenntnis" zurWissenschaftslehre, [1904], quoted fromGesammelte Aufstze Hg. 6. On relatingChancen and Nebenfolgen to Zwecke and Mitteln, see Max als BerufPolitik als 1/17, Wissenschaft quoted fromMax-Weber-Studienausgabe

(Helsinki:Societas Scientiarum Fennica, 1985); and Palonen, Thema-

Fennica,1990). y. *or theFinnish see Kan ralonen, Iranstorming polit-vocabulary, a CommonEuropeanConceptintoFinnish: ConceptualChangesin the 113-143. 10. HannahArendt, Between PastandFuture [1968] (Harmondsworth: 1977),p. 153. Penguin, 11.Especially in MaxWeber, "ber derverstehenden einigeKategorien Zeit undPolitik 12. Cf.GiselaRiescher, Nomos,1994); (Baden-Baden: Pierre La dmocratie inacheve Rosanvallon, (Paris:Gallimard, 2000). lo. Walter [1929] (Frankfurt: Benjamin,Einbahnstrasse Suhrkamp, 1988),p. 77. 14. Cf.Palonen,Politik, note 8, Thematisierung, note 8, Palonen and note I, as well as Palonen, "Korrekturen zur Parvikko, eds., Reading, Geschichte von 'Politisierung,'" Archiv 30: 224-234. frBegriffsgeschichte,
zur Wissenschaftslehre, note 6, pp. 427-474. Soziologie." In Gesammelte Aufstze FinnishYearbook 5 (2001): Understandingof Politiikka," ofPoliticalThought,

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Studien zurHistorik 15. Reinhart Koselleck,Zeitschichten (Frankfurt: Suhrkamp, 2000). viewson conand Koselleck's 16. In thisrespectQuentinSkinner's See Skinner, are parallel. rhetorical redescription through changes ceptual in thePhilosophy Reason and Rhetoric UP, ofHobbes(Cambridge: Cambridge " und Methodenwechsel [1988], 1996); and Koselleck, "Erfahrungswandel note 15. in Zeitschichten, republished in Benjamin, der Geschichte," "berden Begriff 17. Cf. Benjamin, Illuminationen 1980),pp. 251-262. (Frankfurt: Suhrkamp, in KariPalonen, Das 'Webersche continues 18.Thisdiscussion mythesis Westdeutscher desPolitischen zur Kontingenz Moment,1 (Wiesbaden: Verlag, 1998).