Wednesday 15 April 2009

The Charmed Circle of Ideology: A Critique of Laclau and Mouffe, Butler and Zizek

Is this book's critique of contemporary Continental philosophy comparable to some of my posts? I like the targeting of "idealism", but the only way I can find out for sure is to download the book for free:

Description

Set against the collapse of social theory into a theory of ideological discourse, Geoff Boucher sets to work a rigorous mapping of the contemporary field, targeting the relativist implications of this new form of philosophical idealism. Offering a detailed and immanent critique Boucher concentrates his critical attention on the ‘postmarxism’ of Laclau and Mouffe, Butler and Žižek. Combining close reading and careful exposition with polemical intent, Boucher links the relativism exemplified in these contemporary theoretical trends to unresolved philosophical problems of modernity. In conclusion Boucher points to ‘intersubjectivity’ as an exit from postmarxist theory’s charmed circle of ideology.

Contents

1. Introduction: The Postmarxian Field
2. New Times: The Emergence of Postmarxism
3. Crop Circles in the Postmarxian Field: Laclau and Mouffe
4. The Antinomies of Slavoj Žižek
5. The Politics of Performativity
6. Conclusion: The Charmed Circle of Ideology

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