Institution and dislocation: philosophical roots of Laclau's discourse theory of space and antagonism

Ernesto Laclau and Chantal Mouffe's theory is remarkable for bringing in a balance empirical analysis and philosophical considerations. The way this balance is reached is illustrated by discussing the main philosophical sources of Laclau's theory of space and antagonism. It is shown that Laclau's theory of social space relies on Husserl's phenomenology and critique of objectivism. Furthermore, it is shown in what way Laclau's differentiation between time and space corresponds to his differentiation between the two notions of the political and the social. This philosophical as well as political approach to the question of social space is contrasted with conceptions of space that are dominant in critical geography. The discussion provides the basis for a more general plea to take account of the philosophical implications of Laclau's differentiation between space and time, or the social and the political, as both are different aspects of one and the same phenomenon: antagonism.