The Post-Political and Its Discontents

This is a theoretical and practical interrogation of how the post political has come to dominate governance. We are told that we live in a 'post ideological' era; that we have moved 'beyond Left and Right'; and that we are 'all in it together'. Democracy has been reduced to the consensual administration of economic necessity. How can we make sense of this form of depoliticisation? How does it manifest itself in different spheres of social life? And in what ways is it being challenged or subverted? Contributors to this volume respond to these questions through a wide ranging critical engagement with the concept of the post political developed by Chantal Mouffe, Jacques Ranciere, Slavoj Zizek, Alain Badiou and others. It interrogates the theoretical literature on the post political - its value and limits, its internal tensions, and the possibility of creative syntheses with other approaches. It critically engages with multiple cases of contemporary depoliticisation, such as multiculturalism, philanthropy, participatory development, sustainability planning and the regulation of biotechnology. It assesses the emancipatory potential of anti austerity protests, the Occupy movement and other political struggles in the context of continuing processes of post politicisation.