In order to attain a comprehensive understanding of the idea of alienation, we particularly need to acknowledge its political dimension. The present study substantiates this assumption by first reconstructing the rudimentary existing contours of a political theory of alienation in the works of Karl Marx. These insights are further enhanced by detailed interpretations of the political thought of Cornelius Castoriadis and Hannah Arendt. As a result, an understanding of alienation as subjective experience emerges, one which corresponds to phenomena of "closures of the political" at an institutional and structural level. Building on this conception, the author discusses possible coping strategies with regards to alienation and develops the objectives of a critical theory of politics. With an introductory foreword by Hartmut Rosa.