This is a reassessment of the political philosophy of Hannah Arendt. While analyzing the central themes of Arendt"s work, Hansen also shows that her political thinking makes a significant contribution to contemporary debates. Among other issues, Hansen discusses Arendt"s conception of history and historical action; her account of politics and of the distinction between the public and the private; her analysis of totalitarianism as the most ominous form of a "false" politics and her treatment of revolution and utopia. This book also relates Arendt"s contributions to the views of contemporary social and political theorists including Jurgen Habermas and Claude Lefort.