Post by jjnickell on Jan 19, 2016 21:48:38 GMT
I will admit that I really struggled to get through this piece. While the writing is dense, I thought I was going to be on board when Laclau explained the three requirements for hegemony to be viewed as a category of political analysis (pp. 80-81). These three contradictory requirements make sense to me on a theoretical level, and I continued to read, excited for examples. However, I found myself presented with a discussion of “double infinitude” and the contradictory relationship between 0 and numbers. I think I understand the function of 0 in the system of numbers as a explained in this reading, as well as how that function illustrates the three requirements of hegemony; however, I am really struggling to apply that concept to the socio-political world with which Laclau began his discussion. I hoped his incorporation of Gramsci would help to clarify matters for me, as I am familiar with his work, but Laclau’s treatment of Gramsci seems pretty tangential to me. Can anybody give me a good summary of Laclau’s real argument here, or otherwise point me to a helpful passage?
