-olitical and &mpolitical: ./o -erspecti*es to $ethin0 the Common and the -olitical in Contemporary .hought 1 -olítico e &mpolítico: dos perspecti*as para repensar lo com2n y lo político en el pensamiento contempor3neo M$8P$0 "E$6R- 0$E"Conse<o 6acional de nvestigaciones Cient2ficas * 8cnicasS UnivCatólica de 0anta %eS Univdel 0alvador T $rgentinamatiaslsaidelNgmailcom #,stract: 8+is article introduces a distinction =etHeen tHo Ha*s oft+inGing t+e common and t+ e political in contemporar*/ post? foundational poli tical t+oug+t H+ic+ call poli tical and impolitical3ot+ stances s+are t+e idea t+at t+e communit* is =ot+ impossi=le and necessar*6onet+eless/ H+ile t+e political perspective seeGs to t+inG a neH political su=<ectivit* to produce a neH commonalit*/ t+e impolitical Hill tr* to t+inG Ha*s of desu=<ectification in order to avoid cooperating Hit+ an* form of oHer8+e paper tries to s+oH t+eir useful insig+ts and to point out t+eir limits to re?t+inG t+e common and politics in times of neoli=eral governmentalit*4ey /ords:commun it */ po li tics/ impo litical/ po st?mar ,i sm/ su=<ectivit*/ post?foundationalism$esumen:Este art2culo introduce una distinción entre dos modos de pensar lo comn * lo po l2tico en el pe ns amiento po l2tico po st? fundacional Oue llamo pol 2t ico e impol2t ic o $m=as posi ci ones comp ar ten la idea de Oue la comunidad es a la ve' imposi=le * necesaria6o o=stante/ mientras la perspectiva pol2tica =usca pensar 1 $ fir st dr af t of t+is pa pe r Has re ad at t+e co nference 7hat is the commonV/ !ot+e n=urg / -cto=er KLL9Hould liGe to t+a nG ie go Rossello/ 3ru no 3osteels/ Emilio "o Dalvo and Emiliano 0acc+i for reading t+is paper at t+at timealso Hould liGe to t+anG ngrid iran for +er useful comments and revision of t+is paper7 Las Torres de Lucca 006: KKQQ?JK7 6I J (<ulio?diciem=re KL1J): 7?J4 HHHlastorresdeluccaorg
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Political and Impolitical: Two Perspectives to Rethink the Common and the Political in Contemporary Thought
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8/13/2019 Political and Impolitical: Two Perspectives to Rethink the Common and the Political in Contemporary Thought
$esumen: Este art2culo introduce una distinción entre dos modos de
pensar lo comn * lo pol2tico en el pensamiento pol2tico post?
fundacional Oue llamo pol2tico e impol2tico $m=as posiciones
comparten la idea de Oue la comunidad es a la ve' imposi=le *
necesaria 6o o=stante/ mientras la perspectiva pol2tica =usca pensar
1 $ first draft of t+is paper Has read at t+e conference 7hat is the common V/!ot+en=urg/ -cto=er KLL9 Hould liGe to t+anG iego Rossello/ 3runo3osteels/ Emilio "o Dalvo and Emiliano 0acc+i for reading t+is paper at t+attime also Hould liGe to t+anG ngrid iran for +er useful comments and
antagonism is unavoida=le and t+at t+e full reconciliation of t+e
K use t+is term =earing in mind .eideggerYs depiction of Dasein as an .k ?sistent
toget+er Hit+ +is notion of +itsein Bit+ t+e notion of eG?sistence .eidegger triedto undo t+e metap+*sical distinction =etHeen essence and e,istence/ and s+oHt+at Dasein is open to 3eing and implied in t+e Horld around +im as n?der?Belt?0ein add t+e Zco?[ of co?eG?sistence recovering t+e .eideggerian notion of +itsein
to stress t+at political su=<ects alHa*s?alread* s+are/ constitutivel*/ t+ise,perience of t+e outside/ of ecstas*/ even of freedom in t+e ontological sense t is
precisel* t+is notion of +itsein t+at Has ret+oug+t =* 6anc* and Esposito in orderto ela=orate a non?reified or su=<ectivist notion of communit*
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communit* is impossi=le .oHever/ suggest t+at t+eir different
approac+es to t+e relation =etHeen t+e common and politics/ su=<ectivit*
and political agenc*/ leads to importantl* different ansHers to t+e
contemporar* political situation
8o illuminate t+e first perspective/ Hill draH mainl* on tHo ma<orrepresentatives of "acanian post?Mar,ism: "aclau and \i]eG also stage
a dialogue Hit+ Ranci^re/ H+ose t+eor* occupies an intermediate position
=etHeen =ot+ approac+esJ %or t+e second/ Hill comment on tHo talian
p+ilosop+ers/ $gam=en and Esposito/ H+ose HorGs =ear t+e influence of
.eidegger since t+e 197Ls/ and of %oucault and eleu'e in t+e last tHo
decades4
8+e first perspective/ H+ic+ call _politicalY/ +olds t+at even if t+e full
reali'ation of t+e communit* (full emancipation) is impossi=le/ it is stillnecessar* to emplo* negativit* toHards a positive pro<ect Hit+ a definite
su=<ect 8+e second/ _impoliticalY perspective t+inGs t+e political from its
=orders and t+us linGs t+e common to inoperativeness (3lanc+ot)/ t+ere=*
deconstructing an ontolog* =ased on t+e preeminence of pra8is and
su=<ectivit* n t+is sense/ H+ile "aclau and \i]eG reinstate a form of
sociall* construed transcendence/ $gam=en and Esposito oppose t+e
communit* to suc+ transcendence/ H+ic+ t+e* figure as t+e continuation
to a tradition of t+eologico?political sovereignt* alHa*s founded in and
upon violent e,clusions n t+is sense/ H+ile t+e former perspective sees
political representation as necessar*/ t+e latter suggests t+at a
communit* of singularities is unrepresenta'le / a fact H+ic+ deactivates
an* productive overcoming of negativit*/ an* "ufhe'ung
n t+e ne,t sections/ tr* to give a s*nt+etic and inevita=l* simplified
account of t+e different aut+orYs perspectives on t+e common and t+e
political in t+eir oHn terms do so in order to elucidate t+e political
potential of eac+ perspective for +elping us re?t+inG t+e operations of
poHer and t+e opportunities of political action n t+e process of t+is
J t+anG an anon*mous revieHer for +elping me reflect more seriousl* on t+is issue Hill develop t+is idea furt+er in t+e folloHing sections
4 Be do not +ave enoug+ space +ere to delve into t+e position t+at +as developedmore e,plicitl* t+e notion of t+e common and t+e multitude in recent *earsdraHing on t+e tradition of immanence t+at runs from 0pino'a to eleu'e: t+at of .ardt W 6egri/ "a''arato/ Dirno/ etc .ardt W 6egri understand t+e common as t+ecommon?Healt+ Zof t+e material Horld[ (mainl* natural resources) and t+e Zresultsof social production t+at are necessar* for social interaction and furt+erproduction/ suc+ as GnoHledges/ languages/ codes/ information/ affects/ and so
fort+[ (KLL9/ viii) 8+is perspective and t+at of an emerging =ioeconomics Hill =eanal*'ed in a future paper
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notion of radical democracy ("aclau W Mouffe 19Q) %ar from
c+aracteri'ing a political regime/ radical democrac* indicates t+e potential
to democrati'e ever* realm of social life Hit+in a pluralistic/ multicultural
societ* t assumes t+e necessit* of contingenc* (Marc+art KLL7/ 11ss)
and antagonism/ avoiding an* totalitarian closure of t+e social H+ole nt+is Ha*/ "aclau and Mouffe supported li=eral democrac* H+ile
simultaneousl* re?evaluated t+e ontological role of politics f for Mar,ism
politics is traditionall* configured in instrumental terms and reduced to
t+e domain of t+e 0tate/ for "aclau and Mouffe politics is an instituting
social practice t+at +as no predefined ground/ locus/ su=<ect or content
"aclau e,plains t+e logic of politics t+roug+ an ontolog* =ased on
discourse anal*sis and a generali(ed rhetoric (KLL4/ 1J) in H+ic+ an*
social practice can =e understood as discursive insofar as it conve*smeaning (199L/ KLL4S "aclau W Mouffe/ 19Q) n +is t+eor*/ social
identities HorG as signifiers for ot+er signifiers/ and are t+ere=* relational
and differential 8+ese identities come a=out as t+e result of demands /
H+ic+ are t+e minimum unit of social anal*sis ifferent demands can =e
made to t+e political aut+orities =* diverse groups H+ic+ constitute t+eir
social identities t+roug+ t+em $s long as t+ese demands are satisfied
differentially =* t+e $dministration/ no counter?+egemonic commonalit* is
formed 3ut H+en a Ouantit* of t+em cannot =e satisfied/ a neH central
demand can emerge as t+e signifier of a common lacG/ and a chain of
e9uivalences =etHeen different demands5identities can =e formed around
an empty signifier Q Empt* signifiers Zmatter to politics[ (199) =ecause
t+e* can give name to Xand condense X a common lacG 8+us t+e* give
rise to a hegemonic relation t+roug+ t+e articulation of different demands
and t+e affective investments in a name/ and t+is/ in return/ retroactivel*
constitutes t+e common identit* %or "aclau/ ever* social identit* is
politicall* construed t+is Ha* t does not precede its political e,pression
dentities are not t+e result of positive contents =ut of a common lacG/
and a c+ain of eOuivalences =etHeen different identities gives place to _t+e
peopleY as a political su=<ectivit* H+en an antagonistic =loc toHards t+ose
in poHer is formed around an empt* signifier 8+is is/ =riefl* put/ t+e logic
t+at c+aracteri'es "aclauYs _populismY (KLLQ W 1979)
Q $ c+ain of eOuivalences is an aggregate of negativities around an empt* signifier%or instance/ H+en _democrac*Y is felt =* most people as lacGing/ different peopledemands _democrac*Y 8+en/ an* political group H+ic+ can identif* its oHn
struggle Hit+ t+at empt* signifier can +egemoni'e t+e political situation forming ac+ain of eOuivalencies t+at articulates t+ose different demands and identities
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=* t+e part* of t+e poor/ as an activit* of a common t+at is necessaril*
litigious (Ranci^re 1999) and t+at implies a democratic su=<ectification
t+at puts into Ouestion t+e given organi'ation of societ* n t+is sense/
democrac* is
8+e institution of politics itself/ t+e s*stem of forms of su=<ectification t+roug+H+ic+ an* order of distri=ution of =odies into functions corresponding to t+eir
nature and places corresponding to t+eir functions is undermined (Ranci^re
1999/ 1L1)
8+us/ H+ereas "aclau emp+asi'es t+e impossi=ilit* of a self?
presentation of t+e people in contemporar* societ*/ and t+erefore t+e
necessit* of political representation to articulate different demands/
Ranci^re (1999 W KLL7) sees democrac* as consisting of e,ceptional
moments of politici'ation in H+ic+ t+e common emerges from t+e =ottom/contesting a state of affairs in H+ic+ all parts of t+e societ* are assigned/
asserting itself instead as an an?arc+ic government H+ere no title is
needed to govern
8+e tHo t+inGers s+are t+e notion of contingency as t+e condition of
(im)possi=ilit* of an* social order and t+e opposition =etHeen politics and
administration (H+ic+ Ranci^re calls police)S politics is H+at distur=s t+e
smoot+ functioning of t+e administration .oHever/ "aclau e,tends t+e
logic of contingenc* furt+er t+an Ranci^re: against t+e misleading idea X freOuent in radical political t+oug+tX t+at conservative politics are t+e
negation of politics as suc+/ "aclau defines politics =* structure and not
=* content Conservative politics/ for +im/ are as political as radical
politics 8+us/ "aclau critici'es Ranci^re for e,cessivel* identif*ing t+e
possi=ilit* of politics Hit+ emancipation ("aclau KLL=)
$ccordingl*/ "aclau s+oHs t+at no predefined realm or content is
in+erentl* political .verything can 'e politici(ed since nothing is political
in itself n +is vieH/ politics are alHa*s +egemonic/ so an* universal valueHill =e contaminated =* a particularit* t+at Hill contingentl* incarnate a
universal signifier/ H+ic+ means t+at universalit* is not ac+ieva=le as
suc+ 8+is is tantamount in avoiding an* form of moral or political
imperialism
$long t+is pat+/ "aclau Hill critici'e _immanentistY t+eories of t+e multitude H+ic+/in +is vieH/ affirm t+at t+ere is no need of suc+ political articulation and t+at an*form of political struggle affects directl* t+e core of t+e Empire ("aclau/ KLLQS
KLL) .oHever/ in Commonwealth .ardt W 6egri address t+e pro=lem of politicalarticulation
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$t t+is point/ +oHever/ He ma* =egin to note some potential
pro=lems in "aclauYs account %irst/ t+e a,iomatic assertion t+at political
representation must =e invested in a name t+at unifies Zt+ese various
demands b into a sta=le s*stem of signification[ and t+e role of
leaders+ip in "aclauYs idea of populism reveal t+at li=idinal investments ina name cannot =e easil* separated from t+e investments in a =od*
ndeed/ t+is investments seem to unif* different demands Hit+in Zt+e
name of t+e leader[ and not Hit+in empt* signifiers liGe _<usticeY or
_democrac*Y B+en one recogni'es t+at t+e master signifier is also t+e
master<s signifier/ t+e real Ouestion =ecomes who +as t+e poHer to impose
meaning to t+ese signifiers and incarnate t+em n t+is conte,t/ "aclauYs
t+eor* implies t+at effective political identities can onl* =e construed
t+roug+ strong leaders+ip/ H+ic+/ in m* vieH/ can lead to political+eteronom*
8+e second critiOue points to t+e limited capacit* of an ontolog*
=ased on t+e notion of demand to c+aracteri'e toda*Ys politics/ especiall*
in developed societies H+ere most demands are satisfied =* t+e marGet
Even if one insists t+at "aclauYs account is ontological/ +e recogni'es t+at
an* ontolog* is molded =* t+e ontic conte,t of its production/ ena=ling us
to critiOue +im on t+ese grounds 8+erefore/ see strong limits in "aclauYs
account on t+is point %irst/ it neit+er e,plains +oH demands and lacG are
created in our capitalistic societies/ nor t+e Ha* in H+ic+ toda*Ys
capitalism is predicated not on demands =ut rat+er upon t+e
productiveness of desire %urt+ermore/ even if He accepted t+at He desire
somet+ing to fill a lacG/ t+is lacG and t+e o=<ects He desire Hould alread*
=e determined =* deolog* deolog* is H+at _teac+esY us +oH and H+at to
desire (\i]eG) Hit+in t+e noopolitical dispositifs of neoli=eral capitalism7
8+ese pro=lems of t+e ideological production of desire and t+e
political role of en<o*ment are anal*'ed =* 0lavo< \i]eG/ H+o in +is first
Hritings supported t+e "aclauian idea of radical democrac*/ Hit+ its anti?
totalitarian and pluralistic t+rust (199) "ater/ +e critici'ed t+e logic of
radical contingenc* to redefine antagonism as class struggle (KLLL) %or
+im/ t+ere is not onl* a need to understand t+e formal logic of t+e political
Xas "aclau Hould doX =ut also to posit a positive content t+at accounts
7 Bit+ noopolitics (nous : intellect) "a''arato (KLL4) refers to a set of tec+nics of control e,erted upon t+e =rain/ impl*ing its attention in order to control memor*and its virtual potentialities $ paradigmatic e,ample of t+ese is marGeting and
advertising/ H+ic+ strive to capture our attention in order to modif* our Ha*s of feeling/ t+inGing and =e+aving
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11 $s He can see/ t+is idea is crucial in our digital era/ in H+ic+ t+e conditions for afree and common use of t+e produce of t+e general intellect are t+Harted =* t+einstitution of propert* and t+e commodification of t+e common %or 6egri and.ardt/ t+is full* intellectuali'ation of la=or/ Hit+ its accent on affects andcommunication preannounces t+e neH communism of t+e multitude (199Q/ KLLL/KLL4/ KLL9) $gam=en +as also t+eori'ed a=out t+e general intellect and t+emultitude in order to ret+inG t+e common and to c+aracteri'e +is notion of form?of?life (KLLL/ 1L?11) .oHever/ departing from 6egriYs t+oug+t/ +e opposes t+edominant role of production and su=<ectivit* in Bestern metap+*sics
1K $gam=en notes t+at t+e %renc+ d&s=uvrement (>o<eve/ 3ataille/ 3lanc+ot/ 6anc*)is a good translation of katargein
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cut/ maGing impossi=le for t+e H+ole and t+e part to coincide aulYs
universalism is not <ust indifferent to differences =ut rat+er cuts across
and suspends ever* previous identit*/ inviting us to maGe a neH use of
ourselves as?if He Here not H+o He are 8+e staGe is not <ust to c+ange
our <uridical status or identit* or to enforce a neH "aH =ut to deactivate (katargein ) t+em
n +is vieH/ =ot+ t+e Messianic and t+e state of e,ception HorG
t+roug+ suspension 3ut H+ile/ according to $gam=en/ toda* He live in a
virtual state of e,ception in H+ic+ t+e "aH is suspended =ut still enforced/
maGing life prone to =e eliminated/ aulYs messianism XH+ic+ $gam=en
reads t+roug+ 3en<aminYs glassesX strives to produce a real state of
e8ception in H+ic+ "aH and "ife coincide1J 8+is coincidence is elseH+ere
termed =* $gam=en formoflife / a life t+at cannot =e separated from itsform/ in H+ic+ a =are life cannot =e produced (KLLL/ JS KL11=)
n t+is sense/ $gam=en opposes t+e community of H+atever
singularities (199L)/ and a formoflife =ased in t+e %ranciscan notion of
use (KL11=)/ to t+e sovereign poHer of t+e state (199Q) %or $gam=en/ t+e
state produces and at t+e same time tries to capture t+e e,ception Xt+e
'are life of t+e homo sacer X and rule t+roug+ it t legitimi'es its oHn
poHer t+roug+ t+e representation of social identities H+ic+ are =ased on
=are life -n t+e contrar*/ t+e community recogni'es no presuppositions
and no representation t is an un?founded/ indestructi=le remnant restob/
H+ere singularities co?=elong/ =eing?suc+: Zt+e state can recogni'e an*
assertion of identit* b =ut t+at t+e singularities form communit*
Hit+out asserting an identit* b t+at is H+at t+e state cannot tolerate
under an* circumstances[ (199L/ Q?Q9)
.ere He see t+e contrast =etHeen $gam=enYs position and t+at of
"aclau and \i]eG B+ile according to "aclau t+e logic of +egemon* and
articulation implies a political constitution of identities and a struggle
=etHeen t+em to represent t+e H+ole/ $gam=en is seeGing an
Unrepresenta=le remnant t+at gets rid of previous identities and t+reatens
t+e 0tateYs sovereign violence $t t+e same time/ H+ile \i]eG sees dis?
identification as t+e element t+at +olds toget+er empirical communities
and calls for an et+ics of over?identification/ $gam=en e,presses t+e need
to elude identification since =* producing identities poHer dispositifs
1J raHing on t+e latterYs idea of communica'ility and of divine violence / as a violencet+at does not institute a neH "aH/ $gam=en t+inGs t+e coming politics as a means
without ends H+ic+ s+ould turn t+e virtual (0c+mittean) state of e,ception inH+ic+ He live into a real (3en<aminian) one (199Q)
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if He Hant to avoid neH modes of t+anatological e,clusion B+ile for t+e
first perspective t+e common is politically construed / for t+e second it is
'eyond politics and cannot =e politicall* produced 8+at is H+* t+e first
assumes t+at politics consist in activism and strives to find an
emancipator* su=<ect (t+e people/ t+e proletariat/ etc) H+ile in impolitical
t+oug+t t+e staGe is to deactivate an* form of su=<ectivit* and poHer/ in
1Q n Il regno e la gloria (KLL7)/ $gam=en speaGs of a =i?polar mac+ine constituted =*sovereignt* and oikonomical government/ in H+ic+ t+e latter predominates6onet+eless/ instead of giving an account of toda*Ys t+eories and practice of governance/ +e maGes an arc+eolog* of t+eological te,ts to reveal t+e separation=etHeen a transcendent reign of god/ H+o reigns =ut doesnYt govern/ and t+e
immanent oikonimical government =* t+e angels (ministers) $lso Esposito (KL1J)refers to economics t+roug+ t+e filter of t+e t+eological de=ate
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reinforce t+e position of t+ose H+o rule nstead of resisting state poHer orretreating from it/ +e suggests t+at true revolutionaries s+ould tr* to sei'e
it (KLL7) 3ut does it maGe an* sense to speaG toda* of _true
revolutionariesY and t+e sei'ure of state poHer in comple, and glo=ali'ed
societiesV
n m* vieH/ the limits of 'oth perspectives stem from the very
diagnoses they make espite providing useful insig+ts/ =ot+ stances +ave
a reductive understanding of toda*Ys forms of domination/ H+ic+
undermines t+eir capacit* to ela=orate a positive account of t+ecommunalit* to emerge and politics to come n t+is sense/ impolitical
t+oug+t seems to =e still secretl* o=sessed Hit+ sovereign poHer and Hit+
t+eological and <uridical dispositifs H+en toda*Ys forms of (=io)poHer are
muc+ more su=tle and productive B+ile it is true t+at t+e e,ception
=ecame t+e rule of government and t+at racism is far from =eing
overcome/ H+at is taGing place in toda*Ys societies of control is rat+er t+e
inclusion of t+e outside B+ereas classic sovereign poHer and even
disciplinar* societies =elong to a mec+anical?analogical era/ toda*Ys
=iopolitical or noopolitical ("a''arato KLL4) poHer =ecame molecular/
informational and digital (eleu'e 199LS 0i=ilia KLLQ) 8oda*Ys main forms
of (=io)poHer do not for=id or enclose =odies =ut modulate su=<ectivities at
a distance/ and t+e su=<ect5o=<ect of poHer is not onl* t+e population as a
=iological aggregate =ut also t+e pu'lic as a sociological realit* 8oda*Ys
(=io)poHer does not emplo* our muscles/ =ut stimulates our neural
centers t does not to for=id our en<o*ment =ut maGes it mandator*
8+e oppressive contours of t+is in)unction to en)oy +ave =een
anal*'ed =* \i]eG t+roug+ t+e stud* of t+e "acanian superego (passim) n
a Ha*/ it +as also =een recogni'ed =* $gam=en/ H+o stresses t+e
impossi=ilit* to resist a oHer t+at maGes us =elieve t+at ever*t+ing can
=e done/ separating us from our potentialit* not?to?do (KLL9/ 9)
.oHever/ t+is pro=lem is a=sent in Esposito and "aclauYs accounts
ndeed/ even t+oug+ "aclauYs logic of politics seems to HorG at t+e
level of political discourse and aggregation/ +e does not engage in
17 .ere i'eG attacGs Critc+le*Ys =ooG Infinitely Demanding: .thics of Commitment,Politics of Resistance / "ondon: Derso/ KLL7
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