Continental and Analytical Political Theory: An Insurmountable Divide?

The course consists of a one-day workshop for research students and young researchers. The topic is ‘Post-Structuralism and Political Analysis’ which we approach through the theme of ‘Democracy and Government’. The course will examine the contribution of post-structuralism to political analysis: what are the ontological and epistemological assumptions made by post-structuralists? How are assumptions translated into methodological approaches and guidelines? How does one apply post-structuralism to the analysis of political texts? How do post-structuralists think about the political? Given the assumptions made by post-structuralism, on what basis can post-structuralist analyses be normative? How should we judge the veracity of post-structuralist analysis of politics? What is the role of power in post-structuralism? Etc. The readings and the workshops will be organised around the theme of ‘democracy and government’ as a way of approaching questions about the methodological and normative status of post-structuralism.

The workshop consists of three two-hour sessions let by Prof Paul Patton (University of New South Wales) and Dr Lasse Thomassen (Queen Mary, University of London). The three sessions are organised around readings from Jacques Derrida, Gilles Deleuze & Félix Gauttari and Michel Foucault on the topic of democracy and government. We examine how three important post-structuralist thinkers have approached questions concerning democracy and government. This also gives us the opportunity to see how post-structuralism can be linked to normative political theory and to consider some methodological issues in relation to post-structuralism (above all, genealogy and the formation of concepts).

Registration necessary but free: http://www.ncrm.ac.uk/training/show.php?article=4056