By the end of Vibrant Matter, Bennett succeeds in showing readers that "vitality" has been a focus of European thought for over 2000 years, starting with the ancient Greeks, re-emerging during the early Enlightenment period, and re-surfacing again at the turn of the 20th century. Her book is very much a reflection of, and contributory to, the latest resurgence.

While the politics of Tahrir square were met with admiration and praise from all those who love democracy, it is precisely the policing of these practices that mark an orderly transition. Indeed, it is only once the appropriate orders and institutions (parliaments, courts, property rights, etc.) of democratic governance are established that Americans will claim that democracy in Egypt has prevailed.

Ideas of blood, blood-lust and circulation have been used to support specific geopolitical agendas within this region, and rather than reproducing these we must uncover the forms of accountability and resolution they endorse.

Susan Ruddick teaches in the Geography department at the University of Toronto, and has recently completed a translation of Pierre Macherey’s book "Hegel ou Spinoza", forthcoming as "Hegel or Spinoza" with University of Minnesota Press later this year. We were pleased to be able to include an excerpt from the book and a version of Sue’s introduction in the new issue of Society and Space.