On Populist Reason
In this highly original work Ernesto Laclau continues the philosophical and political exploration initiated in Hegemony and Socialist Strategy. Here he focuses on the construction of popular identities and how "the people" emerge as a collective actor. Skillfully combining theoretical analysis with a myriad of empirical references from numerous historical and geographical contexts he offers a critical reading of the existing literature on populism, demonstrating its dependency on the theorists of "mass psychology" such as Taine and Freud. He demonstrates the relation of populism to democracy and to the logic of representation, and differentiates his approach from the work of Zizek, Hardt and Negri, and Ranciere. This book is essential reading for all those interested in the question of political identities in present-day societies.
Paperback, 276 pages
ISBN: 9781844671861
September 2007
$19.95 / £10.99
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Other Editions
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Hardback, 276 pages
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ISBN: 9781859846513
July 2005
$26.00 / £15.00
Reviews
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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.
Discussions
Begin a discussionOther books by Ernesto Laclau
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Politics and Ideology in Marxist Theory
Analysis of the role of ideology in political movements. -
Contingency, Hegemony, Universality
by Slavoj Žižek, Ernesto Laclau, et al.
The Hegelian legacy, Left strategy, and post-structuralism versus Lacanian psychoanalysis.
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Emancipation(s)
Laclau argues that the changes of the late twentieth century have altered Enlightenment notions of emancipation.
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Hegemony and Socialist Strategy
by Ernesto Laclau, and Chantal Mouffe
How is the present crisis of left-wing thought to be understood?
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New Reflections on the Revolution of Our Time
A critical examination of social struggle in the context of late capitalism.
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The Making of Political Identities
Edited by Ernesto Laclau
Abstract and applied analysis of post-Cold War political groupings.