On 30 November 2018, at the CEM club in the Old Bazaar, the Foundation Open Society – Macedonia promoted the books “On Populist Reason” by Ernesto Laclau, “On the Political” by Chantal Mouffe and “Security, Territory, Population” by Michel Foucault.
Speeches at the promotion were delivered by Ljupcho Petkovski, executive director of Eurothink – Center for European Strategies, assistant professor Irina Talevska Phd and professor Maja Bojadjievska Phd, Blazhe Koneski Faculty of Philology – Skopje. The event was moderated by Santa Argirova, journalist and head of FOSM’s Executive Board.
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“On Populist Reason” by Ernesto Laclau is one of the crucial books for those dealing with the political identities of the present. The enormous theoretical education and broad empirical cognizance of Laclau (from different historical and geographic contexts) allow him to boldly redefine the terrain that hosts and creates the populistic politics as well as the very essence of the political today: vis-à-vis the post-modernistic reflections on the end of politics, this author, in the populist reason sees, paradoxically, “a total revolutionary event that, bringing about the full reconciliation of society with itself, would make the political moment superfluous”.
Promotor: Ljupcho Petkovski, executive director of Eurothink – Center for European Strategies
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In an extraordinarily provocative manner, “On the Political” by Chantal Mouffe sheds light upon the democracy nowadays. As Mouffe puts it, “the defence and the radicalization of the democratic project require acknowledging the political in its antagonistic dimension and abandoning the dream of a reconciled world”. According to Mouffe, “A democratic society cannot treat those who put its basic institutions into question as legitimate adversaries”.
Promotor: assistant professor Irina Talevska Phd, Blazhe Koneski Faculty of Philology – Skopje
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In his book “Security, Territory, Population”, Michel Foucault, considered by many as one of the greatest philosophers of the XX century, unites the thirteen lectures he delivered at Collѐge de France in 1978. In this book, his fascinating, life intellectual project, the analysis of the mechanisms and way of functioning of the power turns into a reexamination of the history of “governmentality” (gouvernmentalité): from the problem of regulation of the population to governing the people. This book is an event of utmost importance to those who want to comprehend their own societal and political condition.
Speakers:
Promotor: professor Maja Bojadjievska Phd, Blazhe Koneski Faculty of Philology – Skopje