The Rhetorical Foundations Of Society - by Ernesto Laclau (Paperback)

About the Book

"The essays collected in this volume develop the theoretical perspective initiated in Laclau and Mouffe's classic "Hegemony and Socialist Strategy," taking it in three principal directions. First, this book explores the specificity of social antagonisms and answers the question "What is an antagonistic relation?"--an issue which has become increasingly crucial in our globalized world, where the proliferation of conflicts and points of rupture is eroding their links to the social subjects postulated by classical social analysis. This leads Laclau to a second line of questioning: What is the ontological terrain that allows us to understand the nature of social relations in our heterogeneous world?" This is a task he addresses with theoretical instruments drawn from analytical philosophy and from the phenomenological and structuralist traditions. Finally, central to the argument of the book is the basic role attributed to rhetorical tropes--metaphor, metonymy, catachresis--in shaping the "non-foundational" grounds of society"--

Book Synopsis

The essays collected in this volume develop the theoretical perspective initiated in Laclau and Chantal Mouffe's classic Hegemony and Socialist Strategy.

Central to the argument of The Rhetorical Foundations of Society is the establishment of rhetorical tropes--such as metaphor, metonymy and catachresis--as the 'non-foundational' grounds of society. From this basis, Laclau explores the state of social relations in today's heterogeneous society. Employing analytical philosophy from both phenomenological and structuralist traditions, he seeks to locate an ontological terrain for interpersonal relationships. Further, he investigates the definition of social antagonism in an increasingly globalized world, where the proliferation of conflicts and points of rupture erodes crucial links between the social subjects postulated by classical social analysis.

Review Quotes

Praise for On Populist Reason

"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

About the Author

Ernesto Laclau is Professor of Political Theory in the Department of Government, University of Essex, and Distinguished Professor for Humanities and Rhetorical Studies at Northwestern University. He is the author of, amongst other works, Hegemony and Socialist Strategy (with Chantal Mouffe); New Reflections on the Revolution of Our Time; The Populist Reason; Contingency, Hegemony, Universality (with Judith Butler and Slavoj Žižek); and Emancipation(s).