How Marxist is Post-Marxism? Subjetivation and Political Representation in Marx and Laclau

Abstract

The article presents a comparative study of the ways in which Marx and Laclau consider the process of political subjectivation. The central thesis of the article is that, despite the obvious differences regarding ontological terms, the approaches of both authors refer to the same basic problem, namely, that political subjectivity, if not politics itself, necessarily involves representation. Without representation, the construction of political subjects, identities, and collective actors is not possible; and, therefore, politics itself cannot be. To develop this argument, first, the article roughly reconstructs the ontological approach found in the work of both authors in order to identify the status of the political and politics. Secondly, it reconstructs their conceptions of subjectivation, highlighting the significance of political representation.