Against the Personification of Democracy : A Lacanian Critique of Political Subjectivity

Author: Swedlow, Wesley C.

Humanities

Published on 1 November 2009 by Bloomsbury Publishing PLC (Continuum International Publishing Group Ltd.).

'Against the Personification of Democracy' offers a new theory of political subjectivity that puts the dilemma of desire into the forefront, using Lacan to read key figures in political philosophy. 'Against the Personification of Democracy' offers a new theory of political subjectivity that puts the dilemma of desire into the forefront. By using Lacan to read key figures in political philosophy, the book demonstrates why democratic theory - representative or radical - is not only ineffective when it comes to the best form of political cohabitation, but also productive of destructive and self-defeating forces. An indispensable text for anyone interested in political theory, political philosophy, and democratic theory, 'Against the Personification of Democracy' critiques positive theories of sovereignty through its analysis of political subjectivity and the problem of desire. More importantly, it provides a truly universal theory of democratic cohabitation that escapes political desire and thus the scapegoats of democratic failure, not to mention the anxiety of the impossibility of the democratic promise.