Books by Chantal Mouffe

An original and powerful statement which enables us to close the widening gap between liberal democracy and the events of a disordered world.

I Det radikale demokrati - diskursteoriens politiske perspektiv er samlet et udvalg af Ernesto Laclau og Chantal Mouffes tekster fra 90’erne. Sammen fremstiller teksterne grundlaget for de to forfatteres tanker om det radikale demokrati – som ikke er en stillestående styreform, men et projekt som stadig udvikles og uddybes i forsøget på at møde sin tids aktuelle politiske udfordringer. Laclau og Mouffe påstår, at demokratiet kan radikaliseres, hvis det erkendes, at det har fjender, og at dets venner i fredelig konkurrence kan udvikle nye svar på intolerancens, fremmedfjendskhedens og konservatismens udfordringer.I teksterne gøres der op med den traditionelle marxismes ideer om, at alle samfunds grundlæggende konflikter er klassekamp, og det hævdes i stedet, at politiske konflikter kan optræde på en mangfoldighed af måder. Samtidig kritiseres den liberalistiske tanke om, at konflikter helt kan undgås. Politik er på dagsordenen, uanset om man vil det eller ej. Laclau og Mouffe afviser hverken marxismen eller liberalismen fuldstændigt, men viser begges svagheder og bygger videre på deres styrker.

What is the ';populist moment' and what does it mean for the left?We are currently witnessing in Western Europe a ';populist moment' that signals the crisis of neoliberal hegemony. The central axis of the political conflict will be between right- and left-wing populism. By establishing a frontier between ';the people' and ';the oligarchy,' a leftpopulist strategy could bring together the manifold struggles against subordination, oppression and discrimination.This strategy acknowledges that democratic discourse plays a crucial role in the political imaginary of our societies. And through the construction of a collective will, mobilizing common affects in defence of equality and social justice, it will be possible to combat the xenophobic policies promoted by right-wing populism.In redrawing political frontiers, this ';populist moment' points to a ';return of the political' after years of postpolitics. A return may open the way for authoritarian solutionsthrough regimes that weaken liberal-democratic institutionsbut it could also lead to a reaffirmation and extension of democratic values

Carl Schmitt's thought serves as a warning against the dangers of complacency entailed by triumphant liberalism. His conception of politics is a challenge to those who believe that there is a third way between the left and right and that the increasing moralisation of political discourse constitutes an advance for democracy.

The rise of Podemos in Spain is part of a wave of new radical political initiatives in Europe - movements and parties informed by innovative ways of thinking about politics.

The themes of citizenship and community are today at the center of a fierce debate as both left and right try to mobilize them for their cause. For the left such notions are crucial in all the current attempts to redefine political struggle through extending and deepening democracy. But, argue the contributors to this volume, these concepts need to be made compatible with the pluralism that marks modern democracy. Rather than reject the liberal tradition, they argue, the aim should be to radicalize it.These essays set out to examine what types of ¿citizen¿ and ¿community¿ might be required by such a radical and plural democracy. From a range of disciplines and a fruitful diversity of theoretical perspectives, the contributors help us to address the following challenge: how to defend the greatest possible pluralism without destroying the very framework of the democratic political community.Despite their differences, a vision emerges from these essays which is sharply at odds both with the universalistic and rationalistic conception to be found in the work of Habermas, and with postmodern celebrations of absolute heterogeneity. For this book is an exploration of politics—of a politics where power, conflict and antagonism will always play a central role.