In the name of torts. Heterogeneity and popular identities

SEBASTIÁN BARROS

Buenos Aires

Workshop; Workshop Internacional Psicoanálisis, Retórica y Política; 2009

CEDIS-UNSAM

This paper does not present a review of the literature on populism but it tries to give an operative definition of populism. Operative in the sense that it could function as a tool for political analysis and not simply as a theoretical grid in which you could classify various types of political articulations. In order to do this, we start from Ernesto Laclau’s definition of populism and move to a critique of his notion of underdog. After doing that we try to complement Laclau’s view of populism with some ideas taken from Jacques Rancière’s work on the conflictive nature of politics. Finally, we suggest a series of concluding remarks that would help the study of popular identities.