Post-Foundational Political Thought: Political Difference in Nancy, Lefort, Badiou and Laclau (Taking on the Political)

**A wide-ranging overview of the emergence of post-foundationalism and a survey of the work of its key contemporary exponents** This book presents the first systematic coverage of the conceptual difference between 'politics' (the practice of conventional politics: the political system or political forms of action) and 'the political' (a much more radical aspect which cannot be restricted to the realms of institutional politics). It is also the first introductory overview of post-foundationalism and the tradition of 'left Heideggerianism': the political thought of contemporary theorists who make frequent use of the idea of political difference: Jean-Luc Nancy, Claude Lefort, Alain Badiou and Ernesto Laclau. After an overview of current trends in social post-foundationalism and a genealogical chapter on the historical emergence of the difference between the concepts of 'politics' and 'the political', the work of individual theorists is presented and discussed at length. Individual chapters are presented on the political thought of Jean-Luc Nancy (including Philippe Lacoue-Labarthe), Claude Lefort, Alain Badiou, and Ernesto Laclau (including Chantal Mouffe). Overall, the book offers an elaboration of the idea of a post-foundational conception of politics. Contents 6 Expanded Contents List 8 Introduction: On the Absent Ground of the Social 10 Acknowledgements 19 Notes 19 Chapter 1 – The Contours of ‘Left Heideggerianism’: Post-Foundationalism and Necessary Contingency 20 1.1 Anti-Foundationalism and Post-Foundationalism 20 1.2 The ‘Quasi-Transcendental Turn’ 22 1.3 Heidegger: Event, Moment, Freedom, Dif-ference 27 1.4 The ‘Grounding Question’ regarding the Ontological Difference 31 1.5 Contingency 34 1.6 Moment and Constellation 40 Notes 42 Chapter 2 – Politics and the Political: Genealogy of a Conceptual Difference 44 2.1 The Political Paradox 44 2.2 The Associative Political: the Arendtian Trait 47 2.3 The Dissociative Political: the Schmittian Trait 50 2.4 Neutralization, Colonization and Sublimation of the Political 53 2.5 The Conceptual Difference: a Diachronic View 57 2.6 The Politicization of Concepts and the Concept of the Political 61 2.7 The Crisis of the Social – or Why Conceptual Nominalism is Not Enough 65 Notes 68 Chapter 3 – Retracing the Political Difference: Jean-Luc Nancy 70 3.1 Philosophy and the Political: the Deconstruction of the Political 70 3.2 The ‘Retreat’ of the Political 72 3.3 La Politique and le Politique 76 3.4 Community and the Political Difference 78 3.5 The Moment of the Political: Event 83 3.6 The Danger of Philosophism and the Necessity of a ‘First Philosophy’ 87 Notes 92 Chapter 4 – The Machiavellian Moment Re-Theorized: Claude Lefort 94 4.1 Thinking, Philosophy, Science 94 4.2 Politics and the Political 97 4.3 Conflict as Foundation: Society’s Double Division 101 4.4 The Machiavellian Moment according to Lefort 105 4.5 The Real as Disturbance and the Imaginary as Concealment 108 4.6 Democracy as ‘Ontic Institutionalization’ of the Originary Division 112 Notes 117 Chapter 5 – The State and the Politics of Truth: Alain Badiou 118 5.1 Against Political Philosophy as a Philosophy of the Political 118 5.2 Politics of the Real 124 5.3 A ‘Politics’ of Truth: Equality and Justice 129 5.4 The Grace of Contingency and the Evil of Foundationalism 133 5.5 The Danger of Ethicism 137 Notes 141 Chapter 6 – The Political and the Impossibility of Society: Ernesto Laclau 143 6.1 The Impossibility of Society 143 6.2 Social Sedimentation and the Event of Reactivation 147 6.3 Politics and the Political – a ‘Laclauian’ Difference 151 6.4 Discourse Theory as Political Ontology 155 6.5 The Seventh Day of Rest 159 Notes 160 Chapter 7 – Founding Post-Foundationalism: A Political Ontology 163 7.1 Towards a Philosophy of the Political 163 7.2 Post-Foundationalism and Democracy 165 7.3 The Political Displacement of Politics 168 7.4 Political Thought as First Philosophy 171 7.5 The Political Difference as Political Difference 178 Notes 185 Bibliography 188 Index 202 A wide-ranging overview of the emergence of post-foundationalism and a survey of the work of its key contemporary exponents.This book presents the first systematic coverage of the conceptual difference between ‘politics'(the practice of conventional politics: the political system or political forms of action) and ‘the political'(a much more radical aspect which cannot be restricted to the realms of institutional politics). It is also the first introductory overview of post-foundationalism and the tradition of ‘left Heideggerianism': the political thought of contemporary theorists who make frequent use of the idea of political difference: Jean-Luc Nancy, Claude Lefort, Alain Badiou and Ernesto Laclau.After an overview of current trends in social post-foundationalism and a genealogical chapter on the historical emergence of the difference between the concepts of ‘politics'and ‘the political', the work of individual theorists is presented and discussed at length. Individual chapters are presented on the political thought of Jean-Luc Nancy (including Philippe Lacoue-Labarthe), Claude Lefort, Alain Badiou, and Ernesto Laclau (including Chantal Mouffe).Overall the book offers an elaboration of the idea of a post-foundational conception of politics.Other titles in the Taking on the Political series: Valentine and Arditi/ Polemicisation 0 7486 1064 2Shapiro/ Cinematic Political Thought 0 7486 1289 0Chambers/ Language and the Politics of Untimeliness 0 7486 1766 3Bowman/ Post-Marxism Versus Cultural Studies 978 0 7486 1762 3Simons/ Critical Political Theory in the Media Age 0 7486 1583 0 A wide-ranging overview of the emergence of post-foundationalism and a survey of the work of its key contemporary exponents. This book presents the first systematic coverage of the conceptual difference between politics (the practice of conventional the political system or political forms of action) and the political (a much more radical aspect which cannot be restricted to the realms of institutional politics). It is also the first introductory overview of post-foundationalism and the tradition of left Heideggerianism: the political thought of contemporary theorists who make frequent use of the idea of political Jean-Luc Nancy, Claude Lefort, Alain Badiou and Ernesto Laclau.After an overview of current trends in social post-foundationalism and a genealogical chapter on the historical emergence of the difference between the concepts of politics and the political, the work of individual theorists is presented and discussed at length. Individual chapters are presented on the political thought of Jean-Luc Nancy (including Philippe Lacoue-Labarthe), Claude Lefort, Alain Badiou, and Ernesto Laclau (including Chantal Mouffe).Overall the book offers an elaboration of the idea of a post-foundational conception of politics.Other titles in the Taking on the Political Valentine and Arditi/ Polemicisation 0 7486 1064 2Shapiro/ Cinematic Political Thought 0 7486 1289 0Chambers/ Language and the Politics of Untimeliness 0 7486 1766 3Bowman/ Post-Marxism Versus Cultural Studies 978 0 7486 1762 3Simons/ Critical Political Theory in the Media Age 0 7486 1583 0 This book presents the first systematic coverage of the conceptual difference between 'politics' (the practice of conventional politics: the political system or political forms of action) and 'the political' (a much more radical aspect which cannot be restricted to the realms of institutional politics). It is also the first introductory overview of post-foundationalism and the tradition of 'left Heideggerianism': the political thought of contemporary theorists who make frequent use of the idea of political difference: Jean-Luc Nancy, Claude Lefort, Alain Badiou and Ernesto Laclau.

After an overview of current trends in social post-foundationalism and a genealogical chapter on the historical emergence of the difference between the concepts of 'politics' and 'the political', the work of individual theorists is presented and discussed at length. Individual chapters are presented on the political thought of Jean-Luc Nancy (including Philippe Lacoue-Labarthe), Claude Lefort, Alain Badiou, and Ernesto Laclau (including Chantal Mouffe).

Overall the book offers an elaboration of the idea of a post-foundational conception of politics. This Work Presents The First Systematic Coverage Of The Conceptual Difference Between 'politics' And 'the Political'. It Is Also The First Introductory Overview Of Post-foundationalism And The Tradition Of 'left Heideggerianism'. The Contours Of 'left Heideggerianism': Post-foundationalism And Necessary Contingency -- Politics And The Political: Genealogy Of A Conceptual Difference -- Retracing The Political Difference: Jean-luc Nancy -- The Machiavellian Moment Re-theorized: Claude Lefort -- The State And The Politics Of Truth: Alain Badiou -- The Political And The Impossibility Of Society: Ernesto Laclau -- Founding Post-foundationalism: A Political Ontology. Oliver Marchart. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [179]-191) And Index.