Of the Reality of the World and of My Own Hannah Arendt and Autotheory

Abstract

In current discussions on ‘life writing’ the term ‘autotheory’ occupies a central space as a form of critical engagement of a (plural-) self in relation to others. In this paper I wish to look at life writing, in the sense of autotheory by focusing on select aspects of Hannah Arendt’s work. Furthermore, this contribution is also an attempt to shed light on some earlier works, often from Black, Jewish, feminist, queer, poststructuralist, postcolonial, and decolonial backgrounds, which have engendered or emphasize autotheoretical reflections. These works are often related to each other but hitherto still remain marginalized, with their overlaps unseen.