Tlön as Political Form. Democracy and Totalitarianism in Borges and Lefort

MARTIN PLOT

Constellations. International Journal of Critical and Democratic Theory

Blackwell

Lugar: Oxford; Año: 2012 vol. 19 p. 463 - 479

1351-0487

This paper investigates some shared concerns, interpretations, and insights of two authors, the Argentine writer Jorge Luis Borges and French political theorist Claude Lefort. The first question concerns the reason for such an investigation. Why is this endeavor worth pursuing? What could a theorist concerned with all things political and with defending the most basic foundations of democratic politics possibly have in common with an Argentine fiction writer who despised the latter and consistently expressed indifference for the former? My answer to this question is threefold. First, I will begin by providing two conceptual clarifications that will address the best-known objections to reading Borges politically. Then, I will continue by offering an analysis of Borges’ texts against the background of Lefort’s theorization of totalitarianism as a political form. This analysis will show that, far from being apolitical, some of Borges’ most original works could actually be regarded as insightful early reactions to, and descriptions of, the totalitarian phenomenon. Finally, I will offer a contrasting view of Borges-the-perceptive-writer and Borges-the-conservative-citizen that will render visible the problems implicit in his propensity – one still shared by quite a few of our contemporaries – to see totalitarianism as a radicalization of, rather than a reaction against, democracy. Revista indexada en: Academic Search (EBSCO Publishing) Academic Search Premier (EBSCO Publishing) IBSS: International Bibliography of the Social Sciences (ProQuest) Philosopher´s Index (Philosopher´s Information Center) PhilPapers POIESIS: Philosophy Online Serials (PDC) ProQuest Central (ProQuest) ProQuest Research Library (ProQuest) Social Services Abstracts (ProQuest) SocINDEX (EBSCO Publishing) Sociological Abstracts (ProQuest) Worldwide Political Sciences Abstracts (ProQuest)