Chantal Mouffe
A Belgian political theorist known for her work on radical democracy and agonistic pluralism, emphasizing the irreducible nature of political conflict.
Quotes by Chantal Mouffe
Democracy is not a rational consensus, but a hegemonic articulation of different demands.
The aim of democratic politics is to transform antagonism into agonism.
A pluralist democracy requires a vibrant clash of political positions.
The political is about the constitution of 'us' and 'them'.
There is no society without exclusion.
Hegemony is not a state of affairs, but a process.
The very idea of a 'rational consensus' is a denial of the political.
Politics is about creating a common world, but a common world that is always contested.
The 'enemy' in agonistic pluralism is not an absolute evil to be destroyed, but an adversary whose existence is legitimate.
The democratic struggle is not to eliminate power, but to articulate it in a different way.
The idea of a 'third way' is often a way of avoiding the real political choices.
Every order is a hegemonic order.
The political is the dimension of antagonism inherent in human societies.
To think politically is to think in terms of friends and enemies.
The task of democratic politics is to establish a frontier between 'us' and 'them' in a way that is compatible with pluralism.
There is no neutral ground in politics.
The 'post-political' illusion is that we can transcend power relations.
Democracy is a process of constant re-articulation of the social.
The political is not just about institutions, but about passions and identifications.
The very idea of a 'radical democracy' implies a constant questioning of established power relations.