Ethics And Politics In Contemporary Theory Between Critical Theory And Post Marxism

In addressing the political and theoretical debates between critical and post-Marxist theorists, this book discusses the politics of communication and rationality, subjectivity, sovereignty, ethics and deliberative democracy, considering questions such as: * Does the theory of communicative action justify deliberative democracy? * Is a theory of hegemony compatible with an account which relies upon an ideal of communicative success? * Is autonomy a good which should be fostered? * Can the ideal of democracy extend beyond the nation state? * Does post-Marxism have anything interesting to say about ethics? Analysing the work of Ernesto Laclau and Jürgen Habermas - as representatives of different choices made in regard to theory, politics and morality - Ethics and Politics in Contemporary Theory develops a critical response to the contrasting conclusions of these approaches.

In addressing the political and theoretical debates between critical and post-Marxist theorists, this book discusses the politics of communication and rationality, subjectivity, sovereignty, ethics and deliberative democracy, considering questions such as: * Does the theory of communicative action justify deliberative democracy? * Is a theory of hegemony compatible with an account which relies upon an ideal of communicative success? * Is autonomy a good which should be fostered? * Can the ideal of democracy extend beyond the nation state? * Does post-Marxism have anything interesting to say about ethics? Analysing the work of Ernesto Laclau and Jürgen Habermas - as representatives of different choices made in regard to theory, politics and morality - Ethics and Politics in Contemporary Theory develops a critical response to the contrasting conclusions of these approaches.

"Tormey and Townshend have succeeded not only in making accessible the notoriously evasive ideas of 'Post-Marxist' thinkers, they have begun the vital work of critically examining their contribution to Marx's project of overcoming capitalism." - James Martin, Goldsmiths, University of London "Excellent textbook - critical, challenging and thoroughly engaging!"- Richard White, Sheffield Hallam University "In language which is clear without being simplistic, Tormey and Townshend help readers think about ways to live ′with and without Marx′ in the wake of Marxism's historical failures as well as its continuing relevance to life under globalizing capitalism."- Mark Rupert, Syracuse University Key Thinkers in Critical Theory to Post Marxism is a comprehensive introduction to perhaps the most key intellectual trend in contemporary critical theory. In jargon-free language, it seeks to unpack, explain and review many of the key figures behind the rethinking of the legacy of Marxism in theory and practice.Key thinkers covered include Cornelius Castoriadis, Jean-Francois Lyotard, Deleuze and Guattari, Laclau and Mouffe, Agnes Heller, Jacques Derrida, J rgen Habermas and post-Marxist feminism. Each chapter covers a key thinker or contribution and thus can be read as a stand alone introduction to the principal aspects of their approach. Each chapter is followed by a summary of key points with a guide to further reading. Underlying the text is also the central question: What is Post-Marxism? Instead of viewing Post-Marxism as an ideology, movement or tradition of theorizing, the authors advocate Post-Marxism as a loose appellation describing those who have problematised Marx's approach to understanding and challenging contemporary capitalism. As such the book also offers an engaging commentary on some of the key political developments of our time including, for example, the anti-globalisation movement. Key Thinkers in Critical Theory to Post Marxism provides an ideal introduction to a hitherto complex subject and will be essential reading for students of contemporary social and political inquiry.

Combining rigorous theoretical debate with a set of articles exploring Ernesto Laclau's thinking of politics, leading international scholars of contemporary radical theory demonstrate the relevance of Laclau's work to conceptualizing the Political and politics. Part 1 situates Laclau's conceptualisation of the political in the past four decades, both before and after the publication of Hegemony and Socialist Strategy. In particular it reviews Laclau's critique of Marx and Marxism, in order to explore questions not addressed at the time. Part 2 addresses Laclau's work on Rhetoric and Affect developed in some detail over the past decade. These chapters emphasise the centrality of affect and rhetoric to Laclau's conceptualisation of hegemony, thinking this in relation to the importance of rhetoric to neo-liberal politics, and arguing that rhetorical tropes are central to any thinking of the political. Part 3 positions Laclau's work in relation to Contemporary Political theory marking his distance and debt from/to Althussser, Schmitt and Wittgenstein respectively. Part 4 explores Laclau's account of Radical Democracy in relation to contemporary political concerns. Authors address the recent financial crisis; debt in relation to Greek and European politics; the analysis of contemporary capitalism; the politics of the Occupy movement and Latin American populism.

"Postmarxism's broad project, since its beginning, has been about rescuing Marxism from the global collapse of Marxist praxis by re-thinking the fundamentalism and determinism that marked classical Marxist theory but that no longer represents Western politico-social reality. The Sociology of Postmarxism is located within the broad corpus of work that has applied a sociological reading to theoretical and empirical categories. Its specific aim, within this literature, is to develop a "reflexive sociology" that is informed by, and informs politics. The political theory of "postmarxism" and "social capital" theory will be crucial mediators in this development"--

Recognition, Work, Politics includes a range of essays in contemporary French critical theory around politics, recognition, and work, and their philosophical articulations. These issues are addressed from directions that include post-structuralism, the paradigm of the gift, recognition theory, and post-marxism.

Andrew Arato has become a prominentpolitical theoristin the fields of democratic theory, constitutional law, and comparative politics. He has had a profound and global influenceon the thinking ofseveral generations of scholars. The Critical Theory and Democracy of Andrew Arato brings together original essays honouring Arato's intellectual contribution to the field, based round the themes in Arato's work of Critical Theory and Civil Society, Democracy and Dictatorship, and Constitution Making. It includes contributions from leading ...

A systematic examination of the relationship between post-Marxist discourse theory and media studies. This volume interrogates discourse theory – as read via the work of Ernesto Laclau and Chantal Mouffe – through an engagement with major approaches to critical media politics and a range of issues in contemporary media politics.