Annotation
Introduction to Ideology and Political Discourse Instructor: Mgr. Jan Bíba, email: jan.biba@ff.cuni.cz Office hours: Wednesday 14:00 - 15:00 It is usually accepted that with the demise of communism, the spread of neoliberalism and the advent of third-way politics, ideologies have become obsolete and redundant. Yet, this statement may be the most ideological statement ever. Students attending this class will become acquainted with contemporary theories of ideology and will concentrate especially on the way in which the concept of ideology was enhanced when it met with post-structuralist discourse theory. Course assesment As this class will be conducted as a workshop, i.e. it will be oriented towards discussion rather than lectures, members of the seminar are expected (when required) to present at least one paper to the group based on assigned texts; prepare for each seminar by reading the essential texts; and to attend on a regular basis (minimum of 70%). Course outline (main themes discussed in the course)
1. Morphological notion of Ideology
2. Marxist notion of Ideology
3. Gramsci and Hegemony
4. Sign, structure and discourse
5. Ideology and Fantasy
6. Antagonism, Frontiers and the Political Course readings While there is no single book that covers all the topics examined in the seminar, the following list provides general overview of the literature and the problems and questions raised in the course: Althusser, L. On Ideology. Barrett, M. The politics of Truth: From Marx to Foucault. Freeden, M. Ideologies and Political Theory. Freeden, M. Ideology. Glynos , Howarth, Logics of Critical Explanation in Social and Political Theory. Gramsci, A. Selection from the Prison Notebooks. Hall, S. The Hard Road to Renewal. Hawkes, D. Ideology. Howarth, D. Discourse. Howarth, Norval, Stavrakakis (eds.) Discourse Theory and Political Analysis. Jorgensen, Phillips, Discourse Analysis as Theory and Method. Laclau, E (ed.). The Making of Political Identities. Laclau, E. Emancipation(s). Laclau, E. New Reflection on the Revolution of our Time. Laclau, Mouffe, Hegemony and Socialist Strategy. Marchart, O. Post-foundational Political Thought. Marx, K. On German Ideology. Mills, S. Discourse. Mouffe, Ch. On the Political. Norval, A. Deconstructing Apartheid Discourse. Smith, A. M. Laclau and Mouffe: The Radical Democratic Imaginary. Stavrakakis, Y. Lacan and the Political. Torfing, J. New Theories of Discourse. More readings for each session are going to be distributed through Moodle.