Clara Ramas San Miguel
Universidad Complutense de Madrid (clara.ramas@ucm.es; ORCID: 0000-0003-3598- 3556).
Abstract: This article revisits Hegel’s interpretation of Antigone in the Phenomenology of Spirit, engaging with contemporary readings – such as those of Judith Butler, Alenka Zupančič and others – to explore its enduring philosophical significance. It argues that the city, as conceptualized by Hegel, is founded upon a form of conflict and suffering that is both political and not quite political – a paradox rooted in the simultaneous inclusion and exclusion of the private sphere, traditionally associated with the feminine. Antigone’s act, as examined here in Hegel’s reading, disrupts not only the public/private divide but also the very notion of sexual difference, exposing the fragility of the boundaries that structure our civic life. Through a critical dialogue with contemporary interpretations, the article shows that Hegel anticipates a biopolitical reading of the State and reveals the ethical order as a fractured unity, shaped by repression, gendered labor, and an enduring antagonism at the origin of political life.
Keywords: Hegel; Antigone; Sittlichkeit; Conflict; State.