Thinking Antagonism

Oliver Marchart’s book Thinking Antagonism is a great achievement. As always it is a pleasure to read him, the book is well argued, clearly written, displaying insights in left Hegelian and left Heideggerian intellectual history which is simply impressive. Engaging with the broader ‘ontological turn’, he manages to move from the deepest ontological (un-)ground of the political to micro politics as it is enacted in our everyday lives -- Allan Dreyer Hansen, Roskilde University * Etica & Politica / Ethics & Politics *
Oliver Marchart has established himself as one of the foremost thinkers to emerge out of the intellectual tradition coalescing around the post-Marxism of Ernesto Laclau and Chantal Mouffe. -- David Payne, Södertörn University Stockholm * Etica & Politica / Ethics & Politics *
Oliver Marchart constructs an elaborate ontologisation of the political that builds on theories developed by the Essex School while relying on Heideggerianism and Hegelianism. This original thought is a powerful and convincing attempt to think the ontology of the political without lapsing into a celebration of essentialist grounding or complete groundlessness, which are equally meta-physical and mutually supporting positions. -- Dimitris Vardoulakis, Western Sydney University * Etica & Politica / Ethics & Politics *
As this is a book that slaughters many sacred cows in philosophy and political theory, it may equally cause outrage, astonishment, disagreement, admiration or unconditional praise, but only great books can engender such mixed reactions thanks to the wealth of provocative ideas and creative rereadings they propose. -- Vassilios Paipais, University of St Andrews * Etica & Politica / Ethics & Politics *
Thinking Antagonism is brilliantly conceived and lucidly written. It is a clear introduction to the important field of political ontology, a worthy testament to the intellectual legacy of Ernesto Laclau, and a significant radicalization of his central intuition. Marchart’s command of the material underwrites a complex and compelling argument for restoring the concept of antagonism to its central place in radical democratic theory. To think antagonism is to identify not an object to be known but a moment of insistent negativity that is the irreducible condition of political resistance. This book should be read by anyone interested in the future of the Left and the possibilities of critical political thought. -- Linda Zerilli, The University of Chicago