Abstract

This essay reflects on the Italian reception of Carl Schmitt by looking at the work of Mario Tronti. Tronti's engagement with Schmitt's works begins in the 1970s and revolves around the concept of «autonomy of the political», developing in later years (up until today) with a heightened focus on political theology. At first, Tronti refers to the German jurist in order to analyze the absence of the political dimension in Marx's theory, while later he looks to Schmitt's thought to criticize liberal democracy. This paper aims to retrace the most important stages of this intellectual exchange and to highlight its significance and limitations.