Ricerc@Sapienza

In the last two decades, much has been written – for and against – about the relevance of Carl Schmitt’s thought for a better understanding of the present-day situation of both global politics and Western democracies. This revival has led to new translations and reissues of Schmitt’s works, including his less famous writings. Yet, little attention has been paid to his early works, and in particular to his prewar writings from 1910 to 1914.

This article takes issue with the practical and the cognitive roles of normality within political life and its relevance to the constitution of the groups that comprise a political community. From a practical viewpoint, normality fosters standards of correctness; from a cognitive viewpoint, these standards are what allows individuals to perceive themselves, and to be recognized, as group members.

This article takes up the question of whether emergencies are altogether
extraordinary events that occur in unforeseeable circumstances or whether they are
more ordinary dynamics, which also characterize times of normal politics. In facing this
issue, the article sets forth an alternative reading of Schmitt’s conception of the state of
exception, interpreted in the light of his work of the 1930s. Based on this analysis, the
exception is portrayed not as the foundational moment of a political community, but as a