MOMENTAN AUSVERKAUFT
Über dieses Produkt
Product Identifiers
PublisherVerso Books
ISBN-101859846513
ISBN-139781859846513
eBay Product ID (ePID)1901821
Product Key Features
Book TitleOn Populist Reason
Number of Pages276 Pages
LanguageEnglish
TopicHistory & Theory
Publication Year2005
GenrePolitical Science
AuthorErnesto Laclau
FormatHardcover
Dimensions
Item Height0.5 in
Item Weight20 oz
Item Length7.8 in
Item Width5.8 in
Additional Product Features
Intended AudienceTrade
LCCN2005-017441
Dewey Edition22
Reviews"What needs to be politically articulated at the present time is the possibility of a leftist populism. This is what makes Laclau's long-awaited book so important. Arguably, populism has always been the governing concept in Laclau's work and in On Populist Reason , he lays out his position with great power and analytical clarity."-Simon Critchley
Dewey Decimal324.2/13
SynopsisIn this new and highly original work Ernesto Laclau continues the philosophical and political exploration initiated in Hegemony and Socialist Strategy, New Reflections on the Revolution of Our Times and Emancipation(s). His topic here is the construction of popular identities, conceived in a wide sense covering the ensemble of strategies making possible the emergence of the .people. as a collective actor. The book skillfully combines theoretical analysis with a myriad of empirical references from numerous historical and geographical contexts. The first part presents a critical reading of the existing literature on populism, demonstrating its dependency on the basic categories elaborated by the theorists of .mass psychology., from Taine and Le Bon to Tarde, McDougall and Freud. The second part forms the main theoretical core of the work, where the question of the emergence of the .people. as a political and social force is treated. Several categories already present in Laclau.s work . such as empty and floating signifiers, hegemony and heterogeneity . are devloped here in new and innovative directions. In particular, the relation of populism to democracy and to the logic of representation is given special emphasis. The third part is devoted to particular case studies of both the conditions leading to the emergence of the .people. and the obstacles preventing its formation. Finally, in a concluding chapter, Laclau locates the question of popular identities within the context of a globalized world and differentiates his approach from those of other theoreticians such as .i.ek, Hardt and Negri and Ranciere. This book is essential reading for all those interested in the question of political identities in present-day societies., Laclau's analysis of populist experiences begins with a critique of current approaches to populism. This is followed by a discussion of the classical theories of mass psychology and of the role of the lumpenproletariat in Marx's work., What are the political logics explaining the spread of populist experiences in the contemporary world? What is involved in constructing the idea of the people? And how does this construction relate to other forms of political subjectivity -- classes, corporations and other forms of association?Laclau's analysis of populist experiences begins with a critique of current approaches to populism, illustrated by two essential cases: the formation of a popular identity in French Jacobinism, and the dissolution of such an identity in the aftermath of British Chartism. This is followed by a discussion of the classical theories of mass psychology -- by Le Bon, Tarde, Freud, etc. -- and of the role of the lumpenproletariat in Marx's work. Finally Laclau examines a series of historical examples of populism, drawn mainly from American, Canadian, Argentinian and Turkish experiences.
LC Classification NumberJC423.L253 2005
