Contingency, Hegemony, and Universality: A Contemporary Dialogue on the Left

Author: Butler
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-05-01
Features: What is the contemporary legacy of Gramsci's concept of hegemony? Since the false version of universality has been thoroughly critiqued, how should it be re-articulated? In this radically subversive project, Butler, Laclau, and ?i?ek—three prominent international scholars known for their radical style—engage in a dialogue on central issues of contemporary philosophy and political science. Their essays are organized into three sets of paired articles, covering topics such as the legacy of Hegel in contemporary critical theory, the theoretical dilemmas of cultural pluralism, the debate between universality and particularity, the strategies of the left in the globalized economic system, and the value of post-structuralism and Lacanian psychoanalysis for critical social theory, among others. In this book, the three giants fiercely critique the ideas of the other two while vigorously defending their own perspectives. The intense debates, rigorous arguments, brilliant defenses, and bold revelations fill the book with a fiery atmosphere.