Revisiting Badiou's Theory of the Political Subject
Abstract This article argues that Alain Badiou's theory of the subject offers conceptual resources that help make sense of ordinary life-experiences of ‘evental moments’ and enable the critique of hypertrophic forms of political or corporate agency. The article identifies a set of ideas through...
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| Published in: | Theoria (Pietermaritzburg) Vol. 71; no. 179; pp. 77 - 107 |
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| Main Author: | |
| Format: | Journal Article |
| Language: | Afrikaans English |
| Published: |
New York
Berghahn Books, Inc
01-06-2024
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | Get full text |
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| Summary: | Abstract This article argues that Alain Badiou's theory of the subject offers conceptual resources that help make sense of ordinary life-experiences of ‘evental moments’ and enable the critique of hypertrophic forms of political or corporate agency. The article identifies a set of ideas through which Badiou's philosophy contributes to much-needed emancipatory thinking today. As it investigates the notions of horlieu and the event, the article stresses that true political change requires the emancipation of the ‘quasi-totality’, something that ‘reactive’ political or corporate subjects would not be able to deliver. The piece emphasises that, for Badiou, universalist equality is the indispensable game-changer of politics, and that every single person can contribute to genuinely egalitarian projects. In Badiou's view, there are no meta-subjects and meta-events. Everyone can experience truth in their lives. |
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| ISSN: | 0040-5817 1558-5816 |
| DOI: | 10.3167/th.2024.7117904 |