Identity, subjectivity and politics: political theory in the simple limits of practical reason
Date
1999
Authors
Maclure, Jocelyn
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Abstract
My aim in this thesis is to offer an interpretation of the widely discussed phenomenon of the contemporary fragmentation and pluralization of identities. I make the argument that the 'modem' conceptions of personal narrative and authenticity must be reconceptualized, rather than discarded, in tune with the fragmentation and pluralization of identities. I also suggest that the concept of depaysement is now central to any understanding of community and culture. In my second Chapter, I go against the bulk of the scholarship on Foucault and argue that we can find in Foucault's late writings some rarely explored paths for thinking about subjectivity in a context of fragmented identities and of incredulity towards master narratives. Finally, I argue in Chapter three that an agonic conception of democracy, the roots of which we can find in Foucault's thought once again, is congruent with the accounts of identity and subjectivity previously discussed. Throughout the thesis, I underscore the necessity to bring political and social theory back to the 'simple' limits of practical reason.