Discourse Theory and the ‘Essex School’

Discourse Theory and the ‘Essex School’: Research Workshop

University of London Institute in Paris
and
TheoryLab
School of Politics and International Relations
Queen Mary, University of London

Thursday 28 April 2016

This one-day methods workshop for research students and early career researchers examines the discourse theory of the ‘Essex School’ as a method for political analysis. We read key texts by Ernesto Laclau and Chantal Mouffe and discuss the methodological implications of their theory of discourse and hegemony as well as the philosophical assumptions behind it.

The workshop consists of three two-hour sessions led by Dr Lasse Thomassen (Queen Mary, University of London). The three sessions are organised around key readings and key concepts, and there will also be time to discuss applications of the theory.

The first session goes back to Hegemony and Socialist Strategy in order to examine the key concepts of discourse, hegemony and antagonism. The second session introduces the notion of empty signifier and Laclau and Mouffe’s approach to populism. The final session starts from the concept of representation and locates discourse theory and radical democracy in debates about democracy. Each session will contain reflection on the key concepts as well as their application to political phenomena.

At the end of the workshop, the participants will have knowledge of the philosophical assumptions behind discourse theory, the implications of discourse theory for questions surrounding the use of methods in the humanities and social sciences, the politics of discourse theory and hegemony, and the use of discourse theory for concrete political analysis.

Some knowledge of discourse theory and post-structuralism will be assumed, and participants should be familiar with debates within contemporary political and social theory. An interest in theoretical questions and discussions will also be assumed. Participants are asked to do the set readings in advance of the workshop. A list of additional readings will be made available upon registration.

Lasse Thomassen is Senior Lecturer in the School of Politics & International Relations at Queen Mary, University of London. He works on Habermas, deconstruction, radical democracy and identity politics, and his publications include Radical Democracy: Politics between Abundance and Lack (Manchester UP, 2005), The Derrida-Habermas Reader (Edinburgh UP, 2006) and Deconstructing Habermas (Routledge, 2007).

Session 1: Discourse and hegemony

Set readings:
Laclau, E. and C. Mouffe, Hegemony and Socialist Strategy: Towards a Radical
Democratic Politics, 2nd ed. (London: Verso, 2001), pp. vii-xix, 1-5, 105-14.
Laclau, E., ‘Discourse’, in R. E. Goodin and P. Pettit (eds), A Companion to
Contemporary Political Philosophy (Oxford: Blackwell, 1993), pp. 431-7. Also in D. Howarth (ed.), Ernesto Laclau: Post-Marxism, Populism and Critique (London: Routledge, 2015), chapter 1.

Session 2: Empty signifier and populism

Set readings:
Laclau, E., ‘Why do empty signifiers matter to politics?’, in Emancipation(s) (London:
Verso, 1996), chapter 3. Also in D. Howarth (ed.), Ernesto Laclau: Post-Marxism, Populism and Critique (London: Routledge, 2015), chapter 3.
Laclau, E., ‘Identity and Hegemony: The Role of Universality in the Constitution of Political Logics’, in J. Butler, E. Laclau and S. Žižek, Contingency, Hegemony, Universality: Contemporary Dialogues on the Left (London: Verso, 2000), pp. 44-89 at pp. 44-53.
Laclau, E., ‘Constructing Universality’, in J. Butler, E. Laclau and S. Žižek, Contingency, Hegemony, Universality: Contemporary Dialogues on the Left (London: Verso, 2000), pp. 281-307 at pp. 296-307.
Laclau, E., ‘Populism: What’s In a Name?’, in F. Panizza (ed.), Populism and the
Mirror of Democracy (London: Verso, 2005), chapter 1. Also in D. Howarth (ed.), Ernesto Laclau: Post-Marxism, Populism and Critique (London: Routledge, 2015), chapter 7.

Session 3: Representation and radical democracy

Set readings:
Laclau, E. and C. Mouffe, Hegemony and Socialist Strategy: Towards a Radical
Democratic Politics, 2nd ed. (London: Verso, 2001), pp. vii-xix.
Laclau, E., On Populist Reason (London: Verso, 2005), chapter 6.