The Names of the Real in Laclau’s Theory: Antagonism, Dislocation, and Heterogeneity

This article presents an overview of Ernesto Laclau’s theory of hegemony from his first work as co-author with Chantal Mouffe of Hegemony and Socialist Strategy: Towards a Radical Democratic Politics (1985) to his last work On Populist Reason (2005). To that end, this corpus is analyzed with theoretical tools from Lacanian psychoanalysis in order to locate the implicit postulates in Laclau’s work and to organize his work into three main stages. We propose an interpretation of such theory from a psychoanalytic perspective through three key concepts: antagonism, dislocation, and heterogeneity

The Names of the Real in Laclau’s Theory: Antagonism, Dislocation, and Heterogeneity

This article presents an overview of Ernesto Laclau’s theory of hegemony from his first work as co-author with Chantal Mouffe of Hegemony and Socialist Strategy: Towards a Radical Democratic Politics (1985) to his last work On Populist Reason (2005). To that end, this corpus is analyzed with theoretical tools from Lacanian psychoanalysis in order to locate the implicit postulates in Laclau’s work and to organize his work into three main stages. We propose an interpretation of such theory from a psychoanalytic perspective through three key concepts: antagonism, dislocation, and heterogeneity.Fil: Biglieri, Paula Andrea. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de San Martín; ArgentinaFil: Perelló, Gloria. Universidad Nacional de San Martín; Argentin

On the debate around immanence and transcendence: Multitude or the people

There has been a profound debate about new ways of looking on emancipatory politics among progressive political theoreticians. One of the most important consequences of this contemporary debate has been the emergence of three related controversies: transcendence versus immanence, the people versus the multitude and negative ontology versus positive ontology. Our argumentative strategy will be to present these controversies first, through Hardt and Negri's point of view, and then through a Lacanian lecture of Laclau's perspective, author who places the psychoanalysis where philosophy traditionally located ontology.Fil: Perelló, Gloria. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Biglieri, Paula Andrea. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentin

The Names of the Real in Laclau’s Theory: Antagonism, Dislocation, and Heterogeneity

This article presents an overview of Ernesto Laclau’s theory of hegemony from his first work as co-author with Chantal Mouffe of Hegemony and Socialist Strategy: Towards a Radical Democratic Politics (1985) to his last work On Populist Reason (2005). To that end, this corpus is analyzed with theoretical tools from Lacanian psychoanalysis in order to locate the implicit postulates in Laclau’s work and to organize his work into three main stages. We propose an interpretation of such theory from a psychoanalytic perspective through three key concepts: antagonism, dislocation, and heterogeneity.Fil: Biglieri, Paula Andrea. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de San Martín; ArgentinaFil: Perelló, Gloria. Universidad Nacional de San Martín; Argentin

Laclau with freud or the course towards psychoanalysis as a general ontology

Ernesto Laclau desarrolló su teoría de la hegemonía como respuesta a las inquietudes que algunos postulados básicos del marxismo clásico le generaban. En su afán por dejar atrás la ontología esencialista, abrevó en diversos autores pero es la centralidad del psicoanálisis en sus vertientes tanto freudianas como lacanianas las que detonaron la ruptura posmarxista e imprimieron potencia heurística a su obra. Todo esto sin abandonar el espíritu radical que lo impulsa a la búsqueda de senderos emancipatorios. En este escrito pondremos el foco en “La psicología de las masa y análisis del yo” de Freud, como el texto clave para entender la noción de de populismo de Laclau. Nuestra interpretación es que el modo de apropiación de los escritos freudianos delinea un recorrido en torno de la noción de sujeto que nuestro autor hace desembocar en una proposición radical: ubicar al psicoanálisis en el lugar en donde la filosofía tradicionalmente ha colocado a la ontología. Vale decir, proponer al psicoanálisis como una ontología general.Ernesto Laclau developed his theory of hegemony in reply to his concerns about some basic tenets of classical Marxism. In his eagerness to move beyond the essentialist ontology of Marxism he fed of several authors but it is the centrality of psychoanalysis in both of its aspects Freudian and Lacanian what triggered the postMarxist breakup and printed heuristic power to his work. All this without leaving the radical spirit that drives him in the search for emancipatory trails. In this paper we propose to address the centrality of psychoanalysis in the work of Laclau, from the notion of subject underlying Freudian developments. Particularly we will take into account Freud´s Group Psychology and the Analysis of the Ego as the key text to understand Laclau’s notion of populism. We will present a “Laclausian” reading of the text of Freud. Our interpretation is that it plots a course around the notion of subject, which our author does lead to a radical proposition: locating psychoanalysis in the place where philosophy has traditionally placed ontology. That is, to propose psychoanalysis as a general ontology.Fil: Perelló, Gloria. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires; Argentina. Ministerio de Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación Productiva; ArgentinaFil: Biglieri, Paula Andrea. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires; Argentina. Ministerio de Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación Productiva; ArgentinaFil: Yabkowski, Nuria Paola. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires; Argentina. Ministerio de Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación Productiva; Argentin

Anti-populismo na Argentina no século XXI ou quando o ódio se torna um fator político estruturante

Las autoras del artículo presentan una interpretación sobre los usos del odio en la vida política de la Argentina reciente. Específicamente apuntan a desentrañar en qué forma el odio funciona como factor estructurante del anti-populismo, a partir de la experiencia de la Alianza Cambiemos en el gobierno entre 2015 y 2019. La estrategia argumentativa avanza a partir de indicios −siguiendo la propuesta del paradigma indicial− que se toman de fragmentos de tres piezas discursivas de amplia repercusión pública. Y se utilizan herramientas teóricas ofrecidas por el psicoanálisis (tanto freudiano como lacaniano) así como por la propuesta de análisis del discurso de Laclau y Mouffe.The authors develop an interpretation of the uses of hatred in the recent Argentinean political life. They try to unravel how hatred works as a structuring factor of anti-populism, specifically considering the experience of the political alliance ‘Let’s Change’ in power 2015-2019. The argumentative strategy follows the traces −according to the evidential paradigm− taken from three discursive pieces that had a major public impact. And it uses theoretical tools offered by psychoanalysis (in both Freudian and Lacanian versions) as well as the discourse analysis perspective of Laclau and Mouffe.As autoras do artigo apresentam uma interpretação sobre os usos do ódio na vida política da recente Argentina. Elas propõem desvendar como o ódio funciona como fator estruturante do anti-populismo a partir da experiência da “Alianza Cambiemos” no governo entre 2015 e 2019. A estratégia argumentativa avança a partir de pistas de fragmentos de três peças discursivas de ampla repercussão pública, que são analizadas a partir de uma proposta teórica desde a psicanálise (tanto freudiano quanto lacaniano), e tambem desde o análise do discurso de Laclau e Mouffe.Red de Carreras de Comunicación Social y Periodism

On the debate around immanence and transcendence: Before or beyond: Multitude or the people

En los últimos años, se ha abierto entre los teóricos que gustan ubicarse en el campo progresista un profundo debate sobre la posibilidad de una política emancipatoria. Una de las principales consecuencias del debate ha sido el replanteo de tres grandes controversias íntimamente ligadas entre sí: inmanencia vs. trascendencia, ontología positiva vs. ontología negativa y multitud vs. pueblo. Nuestra estrategia argumentativa será presentar estas controversias desde dos perspectivas diferentes. En primer lugar, a través de la perspectiva de Michael Hardt y Antonio Negri; en segundo lugar, desde una lectura lacaniana del punto de vista de Ernesto Laclau, quien ubica al psicoanálisis en el lugar en el que la filosofía tradicionalmente ha colocado a la ontología.There has been a profound debate about new ways of looking upon emancipatory politics among progressive political theoreticians. One of the most important consequences of this contemporary debate has been the emergence of three related controversies: transcendence versus immanence, the people versus the multitude and negative ontology versus positive ontology. Our argumentative strategy will be to present these controversies first, through Hardt & Negri’s point of view, and then through a Lacanian lecture of Laclau’s perspective, author who places the psychoanalysis where philosophy traditionally located ontology.Fil: Perelló, Gloria. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de San Martín. Escuela de Humanidades. Centro de Estudios del Discurso y las Identidades Sociopolíticas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de La Matanza; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Psicología; ArgentinaFil: Biglieri, Paula Andrea. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de San Martín. Escuela de Humanidades. Centro de Estudios del Discurso y las Identidades Sociopolíticas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de La Matanza; Argentin

Impact of transient correction of increased adrenocortical activity in hypothalamo-damaged, hyperadipose female rats

Objective: To explore the effects of transient correction of enhanced corticoadrenal activity in monosodium L-glutamate (MSG)-damaged female rats on peripheral insulin sensitivity and in vitro retroperitoneal (RP) adipocyte function. Designs: A dose of 4 mg/g body weight (BW) of MSG or vehicle (CTR) was i.p. injected, once every 2 days, between days 2 and 10 of age, in female rats. Intact and 21 day-operated (sham or adrenal enucleation (AE)) rats from both (CTR and MSG) groups were used for experimentation on day 120 of age. Circulating levels of several hormones, in basal and after i.v. high-glucose load conditions, and RP adiposity morphology and function were then evaluated. Results: MSG rats developed increased adrenocortical function, hyperadiposity, hyperleptinemia, hyperinsulinemia and decreased peripheral insulin sensitivity. These characteristics were fully reversed after transient correction of corticoadrenal hyperactivity induced by AE. In addition, in vitro experimentation with isolated RP adipocytes indicated that cells from intact MSG animals displayed decreased sensitivity to insulin and dexamethasone stimulation of leptin secretion. Interestingly, adipocyte dysfunction in MSG rats was fully abrogated after AE-induced transient correction of insulinemia, leptinemia and adrenocortical activity. Importantly, the reversion of these metabolic abnormalities, induced by AE for 21 days, in MSG animals did occur, despite no significant changes in BW values. Conclusion: Our results support that the changes in adipocyte characteristics and peripheral insulin resistance, developed in this pseudo-obese female rat model, are mainly due to increased glucocorticoid production. Importantly, appropriate correction of the enhanced adrenocortical activity fully reversed these abnormal functions.Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología CelularFacultad de Ciencias MédicasFacultad de Ciencias Exacta

Analysis of angiotensin II- and ACTH-driven mineralocorticoid functions and omental adiposity in a non-genetic, hyperadipose female rat phenotype

The hypothalamic damage induced by neonatal treatment with monosodium l-glutamate (MSG) induces several metabolic abnormalities, resulting in a rat hyperleptinemic–hyperadipose phenotype. This study was conducted to explore the impact of the neonatal MSG treatment, in the adult (120 days old) female rat on: (a) the in vivo and in vitro mineralocorticoid responses to ACTH and angiotensin II (AII); (b) the effect of leptin on ACTH- and AII-stimulated mineralocorticoid secretions by isolated corticoadrenal cells; and (c) abdominal adiposity characteristics. Our data indicate that, compared with age-matched controls, MSG rats displayed: (1) enhanced and reduced mineralocorticoid responses to ACTH and AII treatments, respectively, effects observed in both in vivo and in vitro conditions; (2) adrenal refractoriness to the inhibitory effect of exogenous leptin on ACTH-stimulated aldosterone output by isolated adrenocortical cells; and (3) distorted omental adiposity morphology and function. This study supports that the adult hyperleptinemic MSG female rat is characterized by enhanced ACTH-driven mineralocorticoid function, impaired adrenal leptin sensitivity, and disrupted abdominal adiposity function. MSG rats could counteract undesirable effects of glucocorticoid excess, by developing a reduced AII-driven mineralocorticoid function. Thus, chronic hyperleptinemia could play a protective role against ACTH-mediated allostatic loads in the adrenal leptin resistant, MSG female rat phenotype.Facultad de Ciencias MédicasComisión de Investigaciones Científicas de la provincia de Buenos Aire

The politics of antagonism

In perhaps the last piece completed before his sudden death in April 2014 ErnestoLaclau returned to the concept of antagonism (Laclau, 2015, pp. 101–125). Itsconceptual origins lie in his immanent critique of, and break with, Marxism in the1970s. Laclau concluded that antagonism points to the limits of social objectivity andlinked this to an original political ontology (see Hansen, 2016 and Marchart, 2016).The development of this concept is, in effect, the story of Laclau’s theoreticaljourney. In tracking this conceptual history I demonstrate its continued pertinence tocontemporary political theory and link it to the rethinking of representation, toidealisation in political theory, and to the understanding of anti-austerity politics