ISSN 1751-8229 Volume Five, Number Two

Graduate Special Issue iek & Badiou

The Communist H !othesis" #i$e%i&n 'to!i& or 'to!i&n F&nt&s (

Chris Mcmillan - Massey University, New Zealand

Although Slavoj ie !s wor has always had a Mar"ist #lavour and has hinted at an a##inity with communism, his $rimary mode o# $olitical engagement has remained the criti%ue o# ca$ital rather than the re-develo$ment o# an alternative ideological $lat#orm& 'arts o# ie !s recent wor , however, have (egun to overtly engage with communism such that he has (een a(le to s$ea o# it as )our side! *+,,-a. /0& 1his commitment has come in the #orm o# the )communist hy$othesis!, develo$ed $rimarily in his wor s How to Begin from the Beginning *+,,-(0 and First as Tragedy, then as Farce, *+,,-a0& 2merging initially #rom Alain 3adiou!s The Meaning of Sarkozy *+,,/0, the resurgence o# communism has resonated strongly with those involved in 4e#tist $olitical theory, leading to a sold out $olitical con#erence on )The Idea of Communism! 5 a con#erence which re%uired, as 3adiou narrates, that s$ea ers must agree that 6the word communism can and must now

ac%uire a $ositive value once more7 *+,8,. 9:0 5 and an ensuing collection o# essays under the same name *;ou<inas = ie , +,8,0& 3adiou has su(se%uently $roduced a more #ocused te"t, e"$licitly titled ) The Communist Hypothesis *+,8,0 and the Internationa !ourna of "i#ek Studies $u(lished a s$ecial edition, entitled )>n ie !s Communism!& 1he latter, however, #ocused more u$on ie !s +,,/ te"t, In $efense of %ost Causes, in which he sought to reha(ilitate )totalitarian! $ositions, such as )revolutionary terror! as a $otential res$onse to ca$italism and the hegemony o# li(eralism amongst the 4e#t& Nonetheless the critical and o#ten $olemic contri(utions to this s$ecial edition signalled the di##iculty o# ie !s evocation o# communism in any #orm. historically, critics! central re(u e o# ie ?s $olitics is that his 4acanian orientation $revents the develo$ment or acce$tance o# $olitical $ositions that are alternative to ca$italism& Moreover, (ecause o# this re#usal ie !s $olitics are o#ten conceived to have an all-or-nothing logic that ultimately leads to a re#usal to act indistinguisha(le #rom the most stu((orn modes o# conservatism& Nonetheless, ie !s reluctance to venture into ideological waters cannot (e solely attri(uted to the limitations o# 4acanian theory (ut, rather, has (een (ased u$on his ontological gras$ o# the historical limits o# su(version within ca$italism& 1hat is, ie has (een reluctant to $osit or su$$ort any $articular ideological $lat#orm not so much (ecause o# the limitations o# these $ositions 5 not that ie has (een recalcitrant in e"amining these limitations either 5 (ut (ecause they will inevita(ly (e caught u$ in the logic o# ca$ital, a logic which has hegemonised hegemony, (ecoming the consistent (ac ground o# all shared social li#e, or, what ie has la(elled the )sym(olic @eal! *ie , +,,,. ++90& As such, ie !s $rimary mode o# engagement has (een, in Alyn ;aly!s terms *+,8,. 8B0, to )su(vert the logic o# su(version! within ca$italism through his own dialectical triangulation o# Cegel, Mar" and 4acan& 1hus, ie !s overt su$$ort #or communism 5 an a$$arent ideological #orm o# $olitics 5 mar s a ste$-change #rom his #orm o# $olitical $ractice& Det, having une%uivocally %uoted 3adiou on the communist hy$othesis in First as Tragedy, then as Farce *+,,-a0 ie !s ne"t major wor %i&ing in 'nd Times comes to criti%ue 3adiou!s Edea as i# it were entirely #oreign to his own wor *+,8,. 8/+-8/B0& Fe must consider, there#ore, (oth the signi#icance o# the communist hy$othesis #or the $ractice o# ie ian theory and its value as a #orm o# $olitics& En that regard, in this $a$er E will see to consider this communist moment within ie !s wor , #rom its 3adiouian origins to the a$$arent distance ie has esta(lished #rom the latter!s )Edea o# Communism!, arguing that although )the communist hy$othesis! 2

mar s a develo$ment within ie ian theory it can (e considered con#luent with his $revious wor in the sense that it $roceeds only on the (asis o# an identi#ication with $oints o# antagonism within ca$italism& Moreover, E contend that, des$ite ie !s a$$arent am(ivalence, his reading o# communism can (e $roductively e"tended via a uto$ian demand around the very limitations o# ca$italism, an e"tension that is %uite distinct #rom the ideological contortions o# 3adiou!s Edea& 1his res$onse will have cause to move through three considerations& 1he #irst $ertains to ie !s initial entry into the #ield o# communism& Cere, #ollowing 3adiou, ie considers communism as a hy$othesis and one that can only (e understood as a res$onse to the contradictions o# glo(al ca$italism& En this manner, suggesting no ideological content, ie !s communism a$$ears entirely congruent with his earlier wor G an attem$t to evo e the disavowed #oundations o# ca$ital& Det, des$ite this develo$ment, in his latest te"t %i&ing in 'nd Times *+,8,0, ie does not see to #urther his own reading o# communism and is critical o# 3adiou!s own ela(oration& 3adiou has gone on to $roduce The Communist Hypothesis, a collection o# essays o# which only one directly considers communism& En this section 5 a re$roduction o# his $a$er $resented the Idea of Communism con#erence 5 he details what he means (y the Edea o# communism in a manner that goes (eyond ie !s wor & 3adiou!s Edea, ta en to (e a $olitical $rocedure in which a su(ject (ecomes activated (y its em(odiment in a $olitical truth within a historical state, attem$ts to mo(ilise the tension o# the 4acanian @eal within the ca$italist state& Conversely, 3adiou!s intervention involves an ideological identi#ication that lies in contradistinction with (oth the an"iety em(odied (y the @eal and ie !s mode o# engagement& 1his contrast s$ea s to diverging $ers$ectives on our a(ility to $er#orm su(versive $olitics within ca$italismG nota(ly, we must consider whether an alternative ideological $lat#orm can (e develo$ed within ca$italism without (eing su(sumed into ca$ital itsel#& Cere, although suggesting that 3adiou!s wor use#ully e"tends our understanding o# ie !s communism, E contend that the $resence o# such an Edea ris s (eing caught u$ with the )#acts! o# ca$italism, as o$$osed to the @eal tension $rovided (y the truth that (oth 3adiou and ie see to evo e& En this manner, E $osit that it is use#ul to distinguish (etween 3adiou!s Edea and ie !s hy$othesis& Moreover, E come to argue that rather than attem$ting to attri(ute any $ositive value to communism, ie !s consideration o# the hy$othesis can (e (est understood as a uto$ian demandG the third and #inal consideration& 3y way o# a 4acanian inter$retation o# Hameson!s wor on uto$ia E suggest two 3

alternate readings o# uto$ia, (oth o# which resonate with a 4acanian conce$tion o# (ouissance& 1he #irst and most common conce$tion is the uto$ia o# the ideal, a demand which can (e considered homologous with sur$lus- (ouissance& An alternative mode o# uto$ia, however, occurs at the limits o# the imaginary& 1his uto$ian demand is $roduced when conditions are deadloc ed to a degree that sym$toms cannot (e resolved within e"isting co-ordinates, such that new s$ace must (e invented& As such, a uto$ian demand can (e located in the $osition o# the )$art with no $art! within ca$italism, the sur$lus or reserve army o# la(our which ie !s suggests (oth #orm the element o# universality within ca$italism and is the justi#ication #or the communist hy$othesis& 3e#ore develo$ing the lin (etween uto$ia, (ouissance and universality in relation to communism, however, E will (egin (y considering ie !s initial wor on the communist hy$othesis& #i$e%)s Communism* +,&lit&ri&n -usti.e or the Communist H !othesis Fhilst ie !s wor is trans$arently directed as a res$onse to glo(al ca$italism, his theoretical interventions have never settled u$on an ideological $lat#orm which suggests a (eyond to this criti%ue& ie !s commitment to the theoretical tenets o# 4acanian $sychoanalysis and Cegelian dialectics are readily a$$arent, as is his $ositioning within the Mar"ist tradition, yet the ultimate location o# his $olitical commitments has remained a $oint o# academic s$eculation *see 3oucher = Shar$e, +,8,G 3owman = Stam$, +,,:0& Fhilst some critics, such as 2rnesto 4aclau, have come to suggest that ie !s wor is without $olitical outloo (ecause o# his commitment to 4acanian analysis *4aclau, +,,,. +/-0, others have come to argue that ie !s wor is re$lete with an im$licit totalitarianism& 1he latter $osition was the $redominant thrust o# a s$ecial edition o# the Internationa !ourna of "i#ek Studies entitled )ie !s Communism!, in which a #amiliar collection o# ie !s critics rounded on his intervention into totalitarianism in the +,,/ te"t, In $efense of %ost Causes& Cere ie $rovocatively #launted his su$$ort #or a num(er o# )lost causes!G $rimarily totalitarian $olitics, #rom Mao to Stalin and Ceidegger, (ut, also, the theoretical lost causes o# Mar"ism and $sychoanalysis themselves& Det, although he see s to reha(ilitate the ) ernel o# truth! in totalitarian regimes, the central argument o# the te"t is a rethin ing o# the limitations o# li(eralism and the end o# glo(al am(itions rather than in detailed su$$ort #or any ideological #ormation& 1he te"t $roduces a certain style o# ie ian $oliticsG $rovocative, $olemic and aimed largely at desta(ilising hegemonic assum$tions in the 4

name o# ena(ling more radical #orms o# su(version& Nowhere, however, does ie s$eci#ically re#er to a communist hy$othesis or engage in a direct endorsement o# communism& Nonetheless, although ie does not directly associate terror, or indeed egalitarianism, with communism, Aeo## 3oucher and Matthew Shar$e!s editorial introduction to the s$ecial edition states. En this edition o# the EHZS, the contri(utors investigate ie !s claim that his intervention is not a #lam(oyant $osture mas ing the lac o# a de#inite $rogramme, (ut a serious contri(ution to the renewal o# the emanci$atory $roject o# 6egalitarian communism7& *+,8,. +0& Et a$$ears that, #or his critics, ie !s communism lies in his a$$arent em(race o# totalitarian values at the e"$ense o# li(eral $olitics& 1his reading o# ie !s communism is not, however, at all congruent with ie !s later and more direct consideration o# communism, which s$eci#ically see s to su(vert any attem$t to $ositively locate communism& Endeed, to suggest that ie !s $ositions in In $efense of %ost Causes are communist is a retros$ective reading, ta ing the em$hasis o# his later wor and im$osing it u$on earlier arguments& Nonetheless, the $ositions ta en in In $efense of %ost Causes do esta(lish the (asis #or ie !s em(race o# communism, which occurs not through an a(stract, ideological commitment #or communism (ut, rather, via $olitical identi#ication with the )$art with no $art! o# ca$italism& Cere, initially advocating #or the )dictatorshi$ o# the $roletariat! at the e"$ense o# li(eral democratic values, ie suggests. 1he standard li(eral counter-argument to those who warn a(out the 6invisi(le hand7 o# the mar et that controls our destines is. i# the $rice o# (eing #reed #rom the in&isi) e hand o# the mar et is to (e controlled (y the &isi) e hand o# the new rulers, are we ready to $ay #or itI 1he answer should (e. yes 5 i# this visi(le hand is visi(le to and controlled (y the 6$art with no $art7 *+,,/. J8-, original em$hasis0& En this sense, 3oucher and Shar$e!s editorial contention thatG ie !s $rogram o# egalitarian communism is to (e actuali<ed (y a grou$ dictatorshi$ that will re$resent the interests o# the radically disen#ranchised worldwide and will im$lement $olicies aiming at material e%uality in the conte"t o# ecological sustaina(ility *+,8,. 90& Es $artially correct 5 ie is writing in su$$ort o# material e%uality and ecological sustaina(ility through the interests o# the world!s radically disen#ranchised 5 yet entirely

misses the $oint& ie has no $rogram, let alone $olicies& Enstead, his $olitical intervention into communism is located in an entirely disru$tive evocation o# the glo(ally disen#ranchised and their association with ca$italism& ie has, #or instance, suggested that one o# the two sides o# democracy 5 the other (eing the regulated $rocess o# electoral $olitics 5 is the direct im$osition o# those who are outside o# the $olis *+,,/. J8:. +,,-(. JB0& Kitally, however, he does not im$ly any su$$ort #or an alternative democratic $rogrammeG ie !s consideration o# the 6$art with no $art7 lies only in terms o# its *e"timate0 e"clusion #rom ca$italism& ;evelo$ing his consideration o# the dictatorshi$ o# the $roletariat, ie goes on to im$licate the 6$art with no $art7 as the antagonism with the most radical $otential to disru$t ca$italism& Edenti#ying #our antagonisms which currently threaten glo(al ca$italism 5 ecological degradationG the inade%uacy o# $rivate $ro$erty to res$onse to digital technology and the intellectual commonsG new scienti#ic-technological develo$mentsG new glo(al divisions or #orms o# )a$artheid! 5 ie suggests that it is only the #ourth antagonism which signals the universality o# ca$italismG that which must (e e"cluded in order #or ca$ital to continue to #unction *+,,/. J+,-J+-0&& Et is on the (asis o# these antagonisms that ie !s re#erence to the communist hy$othesis (egins in earnest in (oth How to Begin from the Beginning *ie , +,,-(0 and First as Tragedy, then as Farce *ie , +,,-a0& Fhilst in In $efense of %ost Causes ie ends his discussion o# these antagonisms (y suggesting that not only do the #irst three designate the domain o# the commons and thus justi#y a re#erence to communism, (ut that it is the #ourth antagonism 5 e"clusion 5 which is the site o# universality within ca$italism& 1he vital ste$ #rom universality to communism, however, is only ta en in How to Begin from the Beginning, where ie $re#aces his $revious argument in regards to the status o# the #our antagonisms (y stating thatG 6is, however, only the #ourth antagonism, the re#erence to the e"cluded, that justi#ies the term communism7 *+,,-(. JJ0& Et is only, however, with the $u(lication o# First as Tragedy, then as Farce that ie (egins to s$eci#ically re#er to communism as a hy$othesis& Cere ie introduces the hy$othesis (y way o# re#erence to 3adiou, who stated. 1he communist hy$othesis remains the right hy$othesis and E see no other &&& i# this hy$othesis is to (e a(andoned, then it is not worth doing anything in the #ield o# collective action& Fithout the $ers$ective o# communism, without this ind o# idea, nothing in the historical and $olitical #uture is o# such a ind o# interest to the $hiloso$her& 2ach individual can $ursue their $rivate (usiness and we won!t mention it again &&& *3adiou, +,,/. 88B0& 6

ie *+,,-(0 re$eats 3adiou!s argument adding that one should not read the hy$othesis as a )regulative idea! o# the ind that might lead to an ethical socialism with an a priori norm& @ather the communist hy$othesis must (e re#erenced to actual contradictions within ca$italism& As ie states. 1o treat communism as an eternal Edea im$lies that the situation which generates it is no less eternal that the antagonism to which communism reacts will always (e here& Lrom which it is only one ste$ to a deconstructive reading o# communism as a dream o# $resence, o# a(olishing all alienating re$resentationG a dream which thrives on its own im$ossi(ility *ie , +,,-a. //0& As such, ie comes to suggest that the communist hy$othesis comes into (eing s$eci#ically on the (asis o# one antagonismG the 6ga$ which se$arates the e"cluded #rom the included7 *i(id&.-:0& Fithout this antagonism, ie suggests, the remainder o# the set loose all su(versive $otential, (ecoming challenges and o$$ortunities #or the develo$ment o# new mar etsG ecological degradation and the Areen dollar (eing the em(lematic e"am$le& Enstead, ie insists u$on a reha(ilitation o# the Mar"ist $ro(lematic o# locating a grou$ing which, $recisely (ecause it lac s a $lace in the social order, stands #or the universal 1ruth o# that order itsel#& As such, attem$ts to e"clude the $art with no $art *as e"em$li#ied (y the e"cessive slums $o$ulations o# the world0 whether through ideological mysti#ication, the laws o# $rivate $ro$erty or indeed $hysical walls themselves, constitutes the struggle #or universality within glo(al ca$italism& >n account o# the ontological location o# this dis$arate and des$erate grou$ing, the universal e"ce$tion holds the $lace o# a $al$a(le tension that is ca$a(le o# $roductively disru$ting ca$italism, not so much through the ind o# revolutionary action that some Mar"ists might have envisioned (ut, rather, through the #atal disru$tion o# ideological coherence within Festern ca$ital itsel#& 1hrough this disru$tion the $ros$ect #or reimagining new #orms o# (eing, modes o# $roduction and $olitical action (ecomes a distinct $ossi(ility& Et is the necessity o# maintaining (arriers against the e"cluded within ca$italism that justi#ies a s$eci#ic re#erence to communism rather than to democracy or to #ascism& Communism is not an innocent or ar(itrary signi#ier (ut, rather 5 even i# this conclusion has to (e e"$licated #rom ie !s $osition rather than directly read 5 signals a commitment to egalitarianism and e%uality not $ossi(le under ca$italism& 1he %uestion, ie as s, is i# the demand o# the $art with no $art cannot (e answered within ca$italism, is democracy 6an a$$ro$riate name #or this egalitarian e"$losionMIN7 *i(id&. --0& Ultimately, ie !s

evocation o# the communist hy$othesis is a rejection o# the li(eral democratic hori<on, suggesting that it is only a return to communism that would do justice to this demand& Det, this #orm o# communism is not guaranteed (y history, rationalism, or the (ig >ther to (e the #orm o# $olitical (eing (ut, rather, signals the $oint o# im$ossi(ility within ca$italism& En this sense, ie !s e"$osition o# the communist hy$othesis a$$ears to (e another iteration o# the 4acanian dialectic in a Mar"ist conte"tG an attem$t to reinvent the communist mode o# su(version within ca$italism in a manner which cannot (e ca$tured (y ca$ital& ;es$ite the mass o# $u(lications and $ositions ie has $roduced since his initial (rea through in 8-/-, The Su) ime *)(ect of Ideo ogy, the only elements that have altered since the o$ening cha$ter o# that te"t *in which ie e"tends on 4acan!s assertion that it was Mar" who invented 4acanian sym$tom (y detecting a #undamental im(alance within ca$italism where(y a s$eci#ic instance that a$$ears heterogeneous to o$eration o# ca$ital 5 selling one!s la(our 5 is universal to the o$eration o# ca$ital *8-/-. +8-++00 is the addition o# the communist signi#ier and the s$eci#ic re#erence to e"clusion& Det, this addition $roduces nota(le theoretical com$lications, as is witnessed (y (oth the recent $u(lication o# %i&ing in 'nd Times *+,8,0 and 3adiou!s ela(oration o# his initial reading o# the hy$othesis& En the #ormer, not only did ie not ela(orate on communism as a hy$othesis, returning instead to #urther analysis o# the antagonisms which haunt late ca$italism, (ut he also sought to distance himsel# #rom 3adiou!s )Edea o# communism!, a $ro$osition that has e"tended (eyond its initial #ormulation& 3adiou!s Edea can (e contrasted with ie !s hy$othesis in the sense that the #ormer has sought to develo$ the ideological (asis u$on which it standsG ideology (eing in #irm contrast to ie !s evocation o# the @eal antagonisms o# ca$ital& Such a distinction signals the di##iculty o# ie !s re#erence to communism& E# ie !s attem$ts to evo e the @eal tension evident in the antagonisms o# ca$italism, the identi#ication o# this tension in a $ositive signi#ier threatens to undermine the disru$tive e##ect o# the @eal within ca$ital& 1he di##iculties (etween re$resentation and the @eal are at the heart o# 3adiou!s wor around communismG it is to this Edea that E now turn&

The I/e& o0 Communism

3adiou #irst introduces communism as a hy$othesis towards the end o# his $olemic te"t, The Meaning of Sarkozy *+,,/0& Cere he is less evasive as to the value o# communism 8

and the $otential content o# the communist hy$othesis than ie , claiming that there have (een two $revious se%uences o# the hy$othesis. the #irst #rom the Lrench revolution to the 'aris commune *its esta(lishment0 and the second 5 its #irst attem$t at realisation 5 running #rom the @ussian revolution to the end o# the Chinese Cultural @evolution& Lor 3adiou, our tas today is to determine the yet to (e constructed content o# the third se%uence& 1here is, however, an ideological (ac ground to these se%uences& Communism, 3adiou suggests, would eliminate (oth ine%uality o# wealth and the division o# la(our& Moreover, distinctions (etween manual and intellectual la(our will disa$$ear, along with di##erences (etween town and country& Naturally, the state itsel# will (ecome unnecessary *i(id&. 88B-88:0& 1hus, although 3adiou does not s$eci#ically identi#y the sha$e o# the $rogramme that will come to em(ody this hy$othesis, his initial em$hasis had (een u$on the ideological imaginary associated with the signi#ier )communism! and its relationshi$ to e%uality and economy rather than the e$istemological and ontological o# the concerns that have $re-occu$ied the 4e#t a#ter the discursive turn& Nonetheless, in 3adiou!s #ollow-u$ e"$osition o# the hy$othesis in The Communist Hypothesis *+,8,0 the hy$othesis o# the title is now distinguished as an Edea and a num(er o# ontological concerns are reintroduced+ En the cha$ter The Idea of Communism, 3adiou see s to develo$ what it means to hold to an Edea, attri(uting greater value to the #orm o# the Edea than to content o# communism *i(id&. +BJ0& Fhilst this develo$ment gives greater consideration to the di##iculties o# re$resentation in a manner con#luent with the ontological (asis o# 3adiou!s $revious wor , it also $rovides addition concerns in regard to $olitical $ractice within ca$italism& Lor 3adiou, an Edea is generated (y what he terms a 1ruth $rocedure& A 1ruth $rocedure comes into (eing in relation to a su(ject *as o$$osed to an individual0 who (ecomes a )militant o# this 1ruth! *i(id&. +9J0 in achieving su(jectivation& An Edea is thus the o$eration o# a 1ruth $rocedure em(odied (y a su(ject within a historical state& En these terms, an Edea is the inter$lay o# (etween the singularity o# a 1ruth $rocedure and a re$resentation o# history& Nonetheless, #or 3adiou an Edea remains ideological in the sense that it not only imagines the emergence o# a $olitical 1ruth within a historical situation (ut see s to $roject that $olitical 1ruth onto another historical situation *i(id&. +9/0& 1hus whilst 3adiou!s second reading o# the Edea o# communism is not as o$enly ideological as his $revious consideration o# the )9rd se%uence! o# the communist hy$othesis, it still relies u$on an imaginary identi#ication& 3adiou is o$en in regards to the ideological status o# the Edea, sim$ly stating that 9

6something can (e said to (e )ideological! when it has to do with an Edea! *i(id&. +J,0& Nonetheless, the im$lications o# invo ing an ideological dimension to the $racticing o# 1ruth are signi#icant& Fhilst 3adiou!s Edea does not suggest that, to $ara$hrase 2rnesto 4aclau, )communist society does e"ist! it does o##er an imaginary hori<on #or su(jectivised militants o# communism to gras$ in the an"iety $rovo ing #ace o# 1ruth& 1hat is, i# the @eal element o# a 1ruth $rocedure gras$s the su(ject, 3adiou!s Edea o# Communism im$lies that the militant su(ject o# this 1ruth must (e a(le to $roject this 1ruth onto an alternative imaginary, lest they (e caught u$ in a reactionary a$$eal which lessons the an"iety o# an encounter with the @eal 1ruth& 1hus, #or 3adiou, the Edea o# communism o$erates (etween the 1ruth held in the @eal and the imaginary $rojection o# this 1ruth onto an imaginary ideological Edea& As such, even i# revolutionary $olitics is ultimately a victory #or those with no names 5 the $art with no $art 5 3adiou still insists u$on the need #or the #initude o# $ro$er names in $olitics *i(id&. +J--+B+0& 1hat is, while a $olitical 1ruth is (y de#inition e"cluded #rom the )state! the vehicle through which that 1ruth (ecomes an event is an idea (ased u$on the nodal $oint o# a $ro$er name, whether that o# an messianic individual or ideological movement& Lor ie , 3adiou!s insistence u$on the necessity o# ideology and thus ideological illusion is evidence o# his reliance u$on a transcendental illusion and su(se%uent hidden Oantianism (ased u$on a mis-reading o# Cegel& En this regard, ie argued. >ne could also say that the Edea o# communism schemati<es the @eal o# the $olitical 2vent, $roviding it with a narrative coating and there(y ma ing it a $art o# our e"$erience o# historical reality 5 another indication o# 3adiou!s hidden Oantianism *+,8,. 8/B0& Fithout wishing to enter into discussion over 3adiou and ie !s res$ective understandings o# Oant and Cegel, $ertinently ie argues that $olitical $ractice organised around the tension o# the @eal yet mediated (y the narrative o# the Edea and ideological solidi#ication around a $ro$er name, as in 3adiou!s #orm o# communism, ris s a short-circuit (etween the @eal and ideology, thus intervening against the an"iety o# the @eal and the $ossi(ility o# a ru$ture within ca$italism& 1hus, as much as the di##erences (etween 3adiou!s and ie !s res$ective communisms can (e identi#ied as ahistorically ontological, the $rimary distinction relates to $olitical strategy in regards to the ontic $arameters o# ontology within ca$italism and su(se%uent o$$ortunities #or radical su(version& Fhere 3adiou contends that change can only come #rom a collective su(ject

10

em(odying the e"cluded truth o# ca$italism in the name o# the Edea o# communism, ie insists that there is no outside to ca$italism within which an alternative node o# ideology could #lourish in a truly disru$tive sense& Fhilst 3adiou!s su(ject o# communism is not s$eci#ically outside o# ca$ital in the sense that it emerges #rom the internal #ailure o# ca$ital, any $ositive ideological movement stemming #rom this $osition (ecomes inherently lin ed with the structure o# ca$ital& En 3adiouian terms, the ideological gri$ o# ca$ital is such that ideas only come to ma e sense in terms o# the ?#acts? o# ca$italism& Certainly, 3adiou!s Edea o##ers the $ros$ect o# a $ower#ul $olitical movement, entailing a collective su(jectivication around the antagonistic $oints o# ca$italism& Det, severe dou(ts must (e held over the e##iciency o# such a movement& A movement o# the $art with no $art, the universal e"ce$tion, i# success#ully evo ed in the manner 3adiou!s suggests, holds the $ossi(ility o# $roviding su(stantive ideological disru$tion and an"iety $rovo ed (y an encounter with the @eal& Are we at a $oint, however, where ca$ital would sim$ly colla$se into revolutionary #ervour, or, are the material and ideological $owers o# ca$ital such that a revolutionary movement would inevita(ly (e crushedI Lor ie , not only is ca$ital largely a(le to integrate its own sym$toms into o$$ortunities #or $ro#it, and create a sel#-#ul#illing matri" o# understanding such that ideas only )wor ! according to the logic o# ca$ital (ut, (eyond all theoretical considerations, the material might o# the o##icers o# ca$ital is (eyond direct con#rontation& Ca$italism cannot (e de#eated #rom the outside& Enstead, it must (e induced to im$lode u$on its own antagonisms& 1he %uestion is how to achieve this internal com(ustion without evo ing a transcendental #aith in history or a $athetic $olitical %uietism& En res$onse to this $ro(lematic, in this $a$er E $ro$ose that, today, communism is (est read through a uto$ian lens that resists the $roduction o# imaginary coherence and instead insists u$on the drive o# im$ossi(ility inherent in glo(al ca$ital& 1his lens, which involves a $sychoanalytic re-reading o# uto$ia as well as communism, see s to move ie !s use o# communism (eyond the identi#ication o# the antagonisms o# ca$italism without esta(lishing an alternative ideological #antasy& En order to $ro$erly consider this $ossi(ility, E will #irst turn to the conce$t o# uto$ia itsel#, one that may a$$ear entirely divorced #rom the $sychoanalytic thrust develo$ed thus #ar&

'to!i&* 1em&n/ the Im!ossible2

11

At its most (asic uto$ia can (e conceived as an im$ulse or desire #or something di##erent #rom the e"isting& En this sense, uto$ianism has (een re#erenced to the $ros$ect o# radical $olitical change in the name o# a $er#ect #uture society& 1he uto$ian urge, however, does not necessarily ta e the #orm o# a desire #or a radically di##erent #orm o# (eing& 1oday, the elementary uto$ian demand is em(odied in the conservative ho$e that, ultimately, society does e"istG that li#e could (e managed in such a manner that the #ullness o# $resence is $ossi(le within e"isting structures& Fe see this uto$ianism $layed out in discussion around environmental issues in which the threat o# overwhelming ecological degradation is $lacated (y the $ros$ect o# technological innovation, res$onsive mar ets and ?$olitical will? *see Sachs, +,,/0& 1he uto$ian demand can (e regarded as the desire #or (ouissance& Ende"ing uto$ia to jouissance 5 4acan!s seminal conce$t o# an e"cessive enjoyment that e"ists #or the su(ject a#ter their constitutive castration in language 5 means that at #irst glance, uto$ia 5 des$ite its radical $retensions 5 is a counter-intuitive $osition #or any #orm o# $olitics ta ing its orientation #rom a 4acanian-ins$ired $sychoanalysis that has em$hasised themes o# lac , #initude and e"cess& Conversely, an alternate modality o# uto$ia can (e constituted around the very im$ossi(ility o# its realisation, rather than the (ouissance imagined in the ideological uto$ia o# the ideal& 1his mode retains the demand #or a (etter world (ut #inds the drive #or change in the limitation o# imagination rather than its location in a s$eci#ic ideal& E#, #or e"am$le, a dominant mode o# contem$orary environmentalism dis$lays the tragic uto$ianism o# the ideal harmony with nature, an alternative mode could momentarily e"ist in a discom(o(ulation o# ideology stemming #rom a collective and traumatic realisation that e"isting devices cannot $revent ecological disaster& 1his realisation 5 an evocation o# the @eal 5 has the $otential to disru$t the consistensy o# ca$italism in a way that new modes o# understanding can #lourish& Uto$ia, considered in (oth these modes, is thus not to (e divorced #rom the everyday (ut, rather, is at the heart o# the human e"$erience& Et is a res$onse to the o$eration that @uth 4evitas *+,,:. +-,0, #ollowing 2rnst 3loch *8-/P0, identi#ies as the #undamental uto$ian e"$ression. that uto$ia is at its core an e"$ression o# the desire #or a (etter way o# (eing, a $rinci$le that 3loch designated as )ho$e!G a desire #or something that is missing& En this sense uto$ian thought does not re%uire the wholesale imagination o# new worlds, although this construction is an articulation o# the uto$ian desire& Enstead, these constructions are an e"$ression o# a larger demand #or (ouissance the wholeness 12

(e#ore language& Ende"ing uto$ia to (ouissance suggests that, rather than ta ing the #orm o# ela(orate visions, a uto$ian urge a$$ears in the everyday $er#ormance o# social li#e& En this sense, uto$ia cannot (e ju"ta$osed against ideology 5 uto$ia see ing to change society, ideology to maintain it 5 as Oarl Mannheim contended *Mannheim cited in 4evitas, +,,:. +/-0& Enstead, this sense o# uto$ia is entirely ideologicalG uto$ia is an e"$ression o# (ouissance that lies at the heart o# ideology& 1he everyday $er#ormance o# uto$ia, there#ore, is the $er#ormance o# (ouissance in a variety o# discursive #ormsG the elementary demand o# the uto$ianQideological $osition is that, contra-4aclau, )society does e"ist!& Et is the criti%ue o# this mantra that #orms the (asis o# $sychoanalytic criticism o# uto$ianism& Suggesting that attem$ts to attain the #ullness o# (ouissance or uto$ia must violently e"clude a dysto$ian element that cannot (e named, #or many 5 and not limited to $sychoanalytic theorists 5 uto$ian $olitics can (e deemed idealistically unrealistic at (est, dangerous at worst *c&#& Aray, +,,/0& 3arac >(ama?s $residential cam$aign and su(se%uent administration is one e"am$le o# the inevita(le #ailure *and danger0 o# the uto$ian imagination& >(ama?s cam$aign imagery o# ?change? and ?ho$e? (rought with it a wholesale imagination o# a di##erent ind o# society& Det, at the moment o# his election, #rom his inaguration s$eech to the wides$read restoration o# 3ill Clinton?s $olitical advisors, the desire and (ouissance (ehind the >(ama uto$ia colla$sed& 1his colla$se, des$ite (eing em(odied (y s$eci#ic events, was not de$endent u$on these events (ut, rather, necessaryG the uto$ian ideal colla$ses as soon as imagination is $ut into action& 2%ually, since this colla$se a more $otent movement has emerged, (ased largely around the ultraconservative 1ea-'arty, which see s to restore the uto$ia o# ?America? largely (y way o# associating >(ama with an otherness which is threatening this imaginary& 1he alternative mode o# uto$ia, (ased around the im$ossi(ility o# its instantiation is more a in to the im$ulse o# the 4acanian dialectic& @ather than see ing to e"tend or #ul#il a uto$ian imagination, this modality locates the uto$ian moment at the very limits o# ideology& Such a uto$ian moment does not lie in the content o# ideology (ut, rather, the im$ulse #or change that occurs when the sym$toms o# an order (ecome overly traumatic such that they cannot (e contained within ideology& 1he uto$ia o# the @eal 5 as o$$osed to the ideal 5 occurs when, una(le to contain the trauma caused (y e"$osure to the @eal, new modes o# (eing emerge& As ie , discussing the lac o# alternatives to ca$italism, states in the documentary "i#ek,G 13

Fe should reinvent uto$ia, (ut in what senseI 1here are two #alse meanings o# uto$iaG one is this old notion o# imaging an ideal society which we now will never (e realised& 1he other is the ca$italist uto$ia in the sense o# new $erverse desires that you are not only allowed (ut even solicited to realise& 1he true uto$ia is when the situation is so without issue, without a way to resolve it within the coordinates o# the $ossi(le that out o# the $ure urge o# survival you have to invent a new s$ace& Uto$ia is not ind o# a #ree imagination, uto$ia is a matter o# inner-most urgency, you are #orced to imagine as the only way out, and this is the uto$ia we need today *1aylor, +,,:0& A uto$ian drive lies in the im$ossi(ility o# imagining an alternative #uture to ca$italism des$ite the ina(ility to resolve its great horrors. such a demand is em(odied in Hameson!s o#t-re$eated remar that ca$ital limits our imagination such that it is easier to imagine the end o# the world than a change in the mode o# $roduction *see Hameson, +,,90& @ather than attem$ting to suture the contradictions o# ca$ital, a uto$ian demand occurs when the su(jects o# ca$italism are com$elled to imagine a new mode o# (eing in order to avoid the trauma o# the (rea down o# the ideological #ramewor s which have contained the horrors o# ca$ital& 1he distinction (etween the two modes o# uto$ia can (e #ound in 1homas More!s original conce$tion, using Aree terms to (ring together )no $lace! and )good $lace!& 1his suggests (oth a tragic and comedic #ace to uto$ia& Uto$ia can (e tragic 5 a $lace we will never reach 5 or comedicG uto$ia lies in the constituent im$ossi(ility o# its realisation& 1his latter #orm does not cling to an alternative conce$tion o# society (ut, rather, relies u$on the (uild-u$ o# energy around the very limits to our imagination& Emagination, o# course, is not limited to the #ancy o# the individual& @ather, imagination is always a social creationG the limitations o# our imagination are always the limitations o# the ideological terrain& A $ro#ound di##iculty $resents itsel# at this $oint. #inding a way to imagine the $ros$ect o# an alternative #uture without #oreclosing the $ossi(ility o# it coming into (eing& Fhat we re%uire is not a uto$ian urge to #ill out the #ailure o# ca$italism, either through ca$italism itsel# or its cultural su$$lements (ut, rather, a desire to move (eyond ca$italism on the (asis o# the traumatic im$ossi(ility o# ca$ital& 1his desire constitutes not only an a$$roach to the @eal (ut the (ouissance o# im$ossi(ility itsel#& 1hat is, the im$ossi(ility o# imagining uto$ia does not (ring an end to (ouissance (ut, instead, $ersists in the #orm o# (ouissance& 1his #orm o# uto$ia does not dismiss (ouissance as an illusion (ut, instead, suggests that (ouissance drives every attem$t to imagine uto$ia& 1he vital di##erence

14

(etween the #orms o# uto$ia is that the $ositive mode attem$ts to locate this uto$ian $lace, whereas the im$ossi(le uto$ia $lays u$on the urge to go (eyond the e"isting& 1he ey distinction here is (etween the #antasy o# #ull (ouissance $rovided (y uto$ia-as-content, and the su(version o# alternative $olitical imaginaries through uto$ia-as-#orm& Fhilst this #orm o# uto$ianism leads itsel# to accusations o# negativity and $olitical %uietism, $ositive #orms are easily su(verted& En relation to his reservations around the e"tension o# imagination, Hameson argues that the designation o# s$eci#ic $oints o# $rotest is contrary to the e##ectiveness o# uto$ianism& Et is #or this reason that Hameson has $reviously suggested that uto$ia is at its most e##ective when it cannot (e imagined. Ets #unction lies not in hel$ing us to imagine a (etter #uture (ut, rather, in demonstrating our utter inca$acity to imagine such a #uture 5 our im$risonment in a non-uto$ian $resent without historicity o# #uturity 5 so as to reveal the ideological closure o# the system in which we are somehow tra$$ed and con#ined *+,,J. JP0& Fhen the s$eci#ic contradictions (ecome a$$arent, the tendency is to #ocus $olitical demands u$on these $oints& At this $oint the uto$ian imagination (ecomes limited and what might have (een a revolutionary demand gives way to $ractical $olitical $rogrammes *Hameson, +,,J. JB0& E# the uto$ian moment occurs when the limits o# ideology cannot (e sutured, the identi#ication o# this moment with a $articular demand ris s a $ositivisation o# the @eal and a su(se%uent reactionary a$$eal to (ouissance and a wholeness o# (eing& 1hat is, i# the trauma o# the @eal o$ens u$ a wound within ideology, this wound can e%ually and e##ectively (e sutured (y a renewed ideological movement which dis$laces the cause o# trauma& A salient e"am$le o# this $rocess in these times is the Areen movement& Although Areen ideology at times suggests energy #or wides$read change that might (e considered uto$ian, it has (ecome too easy to divert this enthusiasm into smaller scale demands that only serve to su$$lement the interests o# ca$ital and escalate ecological colla$se& Det, i# the ie ian sense o# uto$ianism 5 inter$reted here through the communist hy$othesis 5 ta es its #orm #rom the e"$ression o# actually occurring antagonisms with ca$italism, how does it avoid (ecoming $articularised in singular demandsI Fhilst ac nowledging that ca$ital is a(le to include and $aci#y most o# its sym$toms, ie designates the )$art-with-no-$art as the s$eci#ic contradiction which holds a vital, universal, status and thus cannot (e su(ject to direct $olitical demands& 1hat is, whilst the uto$ian demand inherent in this necessary e"clusion can (e su(verted in various 15

ideological measures, such as charita(le aid or the dis$lacement o# the antagonism to an e"terior cause, the universality o# sur$lus la(our cannot (e integrated within ca$italism and #or this reason remains the im$ossi(le $oint o# a uto$ian demand& Nonetheless, as Hameson might suggest, inde"ing communism in relation to uto$ia is to mediate against the uto$ian demand (y $roviding an o(ject #or the imagination, an imagination that will inevita(ly (ecome caught u$ in the #acts and conse%uences o# ca$ital& 1his is ultimately a %uestion o# the re$resentation o# im$ossi(ility and the signi#ication o# the @eal& Hameson and 3adiou, as $resented here, re$resent two sides o# this de(ate& Fhere 3adiou attem$ts to animate an idea with an overwhelming ideological com$onent, Hameson resists any tem$tation to suture the limitation o# our $olitical imagination& ie ?s (rie# evocation o# the communist hy$othesis, however, suggests a third alternative& Cere the re#erence to communism does not see to develo$ a new imagination (ut, instead, insists u$on thrusting o$en the trauma in ideology& 1his occurs, however, (y identi#ying this trauma with (oth a s$eci#ic antagonism 5 sur$lus la(our 5 and with communism& 1he later is read not through the $ositivity o# ideology (ut rather, as an o$$ortunity to insist u$on the im$ossi(ility o# ca$ital and direct the inter$retation o# its colla$se&

Communism &n/ 'to!i&

1hin ing communism in terms o# uto$ia $roduces two alternative $ositions& Lirstly, there is the #antasmatic uto$ia o# communism without antagonism, a $osition ie has su(ject to sustained criti%ue, regarding it as the ultimate Mar"ist #antasy o# ca$italism without antagonism *see ie , 8-/-. J--B90& 1his is the tragedy inherent in uto$ia as the image o# the good $laceG an imaginary ideal that must #ail and in doing so attri(utes this #ailure to an e"terior cause& 3y contrast, the communist hy$othesis lies in the uto$ian demand that the contradictions o# ca$italism are such that it cannot continue inde#initely& S$eci#ically, the uto$ia o# the communist hy$othesis lies in ca$italism!s very #ailure to account #or its own e"clusions in the walls it is develo$ing against the e"cess o# humanity that (uilds around the glo(e. the universality o# ca$ital e"ists in this (attle& 3adiou!s Edea o# communism has much in common with (oth readings o# uto$ia& @ead through the Hamesonian lens o# uto$ianism suggested here, the uto$ian moment in 3adiou!s wor occurs when the su(ject is gras$ed (y a 1ruth such that (ecome a militant evangelist #or this 1ruth, #orcing the Edea into (eing in the #ace o# the #acts o# the situation& 16

Nonetheless, the )@oad to ;amascus! moment o# 3adiou!s su(ject o# 1ruth includes not only this moment (ut, also, the ideological $ath which $rovides the moment o# 1ruth with $olitical su(stance& Although the em$hasis lies u$on the truth o# a situation, such that it em(odies the im$ossi(ility o# ca$italism, the mo(ilisation o# this truth re%uires the su(ject commits to an ideology& 1he 3adiouian $rocedure thus enlists two uto$ian moments #or its $olitical $owerG one o# the im$ossi(ility o# the )no $lace!, the other o# the )good $lace! o# the 9rd se%uence o# the Edea o# communism& Det, 3adiou!s insistence u$on the sta(ilising $resence o# $ro$er names means we must wonder how this Edea could come into $lace without a reactionary (ouissance and the #antasy o# the uto$ian ideal& Endeed, ie contends that 3adiou!s notion o# )se%uences! o# communism signals the di##iculty in his conce$tion o# communism& Such an image o# communism $ostulates the $resence o# an em$ty, universal #rame which is altered under di##ering concrete circumstances& Enstead o# this a(stract universality, ie !s communism lies in the concrete universality o# the #ailure o# glo(al ca$ital *+,8,. +,0& Nonetheless, (y contrast to ie !s conce$tion, 3adiou!s reading o# the role o# communism is clear in his notion o# the Edea& Communism (ecomes (oth the inter$retative $rocedure identi#ying 1ruth within #acts and the ideology o# a new world orderG vitally, communism acts as a $oint o# identi#ication #or the newly su(jectivised individual& ie !s communism remains more am(ivalent& E# his $revious $olitical $ositions have identi#ied the tension and $olitical $ower o# those who are the )$art with no $art!, then we must consider how the addition o# the communist signi#ier alters his $olitics& 1hrough the re#erence to an im$ossi(le sense o# uto$ia E have suggested that the traction $rovided (y the uto$ian demand comes #rom identi#ication with the im$ossi(ility o# ca$italism& 1his identi#ication owes itsel# to ie !s 4acanian reading o# Mar"ism, rather than any historical reading o# communist discourse& Nonetheless, the di##erence (etween 3adiou and ie on this $oint is su(tle and much less mar ed than the contrast with Hameson& Fhere the latter insists u$on the limitations o# imagination as the $lace o# uto$ia, (oth ie and 3adiou see to overtly $oliticise the moment o# #ailure& 1he vital di##erence, however, is that where 3adiou argues that an ideological $lat#orm is re%uired #or the su(jects o# 1ruth, ie see s to $oliticise a $otential ru$ture within ca$italism (y insisting u$on its communist $otential& 1his $otential lies in the very im$ossi(ility o# ca$italism and is thus a uto$ian demand& Det, even i# ie does not himsel# $ostulate a conse%uential communist ideology, it is inevita(le that the very s$ectre o# communism would evo e images o# the sha$e o# the communist #uture& En 17

this sense, we must insist on the vital distinction (etween ie !s #ocus u$on 1ruth and the @eal and 3adiou!s collective su(ject& 1his distinction relates not so much to an a(straction o# theory (ut, rather, an ontological reading o# the conditions o# $ossi(ility #or su(version within ca$italism& Fhere 3adiou conceives o# ho$e #or a collective movement against ca$italism, ie insists that ca$italism can only (e (ought to its nees through an awareness o# its own limits& 1hus, a ie ian inter$retation o# communism is a(le to $ostulate this signi#ier without a corres$onding ideological mani#esto (ecause it is not an a(stract or ideal #ormulation (ut, rather, a reaction to e"isting conditions& 1hat is, (y identi#ying the e"clusion o# sur$lus la(our as essential to the o$eration o# ca$italism 5 the $oint o# concrete universality within ca$italism 5 (ecause it s$ea s to the system as a totality& En regards to Hameson!s concerns around the $ossi(le su(version o# uto$ian energy caused (y the naming o# this $oint, the communist hy$othesis does not suggest a )#illing! out o# the uto$ian s$ace (ut, rather, signi#ies that $oint which cannot (e #illed out& En this sense, through the im$ossi(ility o# including sur$lus la(our, the communist hy$othesis does o$en u$ a new hori<on #or the 4e#t (ut not one that will $lease many o# ie !s critics 5 it does not $roduce a new $oint o# imaginary identi#ication (ut, instead, o$ens u$ new s$ace #or these identi#ications to (e #ormed& As such, ie !s communism is not an em$ty treatise on $olitical strategy (ut, instead, is dedicated to moving (eyond ca$italism& 1his commitment #orms the (asis o# the )communist! hy$othesis rather than any re#erence to democracy as the driver o# the #uture& ie justi#ies the use o# communism as the named signi#ier o# the transition #rom ca$italism to the #uture (y re#erence to the sur$lus la(our within ca$italism itsel#& 1his identi#ies not only a (elie# that those e"timately e"cluded within ca$italism who do not enjoy the (ene#its o# this system (ut, also, that this is a $ro(lem in itsel#& is, (y utilising communism and sur$lus la(our as the $rimary re#erence $oint to the end o# ca$italism, ie is signaling more than just a strategic intent to move (eyond ca$italism. he is im$licitly suggesting a $olitical commitment to egalitarian justice to which there is no re%uirement #or #urther justi#ication&

18

8 Enterestingly, in ee$ing with much o# the scholarshi$ on the communist hy$othesis, 3adiou!s e"$licitly titled wor is a collection o# essays and con#erence $resentations, many o# which have little or no relation with the title&

+1he nota(le e"ce$tions (eing Alyn ;aly and Adrian Hohnston, who $roduced generally $ositive contri(utions& 1hese antagonisms have remained a #ocal $oint in ie !s most recent $oint, although the scarcity o# material resources is included with the contradictions o# intellectual $ro$erty& Use#ully, ;aly *+,8,0 suggests that the drive o# #inance ca$ital should (e included in this list&
9 J

See ie !s *+,,J0 $revious de(ate with 3oucher *+,,J0&

3e0eren.es
3adiou, A& *+,,/0 The Meaning of Sarkozy, 4ondon. Kerso& 3adiou, A& *+,8,0 The Communist Hypothesis, 4ondon. Kerso& 3loch, 2& *8-/P0 The -rincip e of Hope, Cam(ridge, MassachusettsG ME1 'ress& 3oucher, A& *+,,J0& 1he Antinomies o# Slavoj ie & Te eos, 8+-, 8B8-8:+ 3oucher, A& = Shar$e, M& *+,8,0 "i#ek and -o itics, 2din(urgh. 2din(urgh University 'ress& 3oucher, A& and Shar$e, M& *+,8,0 6ie ?s Communism7 and En ;e#ense o# 4ost Causes& Internationa !ourna of "i#ek Studies , .,8,& 3owman, '& = Stam$, @& *eds&0 +,,:& The Truth of "i#ek, 4ondon. Continuum& ;aly, A& *+,8,0 Causes #or Concern. ie ?s 'olitics o# 4oving 1error& Internationa !ourna of "i#ek Studies, ., 8,& ;ou<inas, C& = ie , S& *+,8,0 The Idea of Communism& 4ondon. Kerso& Aray, H& *+,,/0 B ack Mass/ 0poca yptic 1e igion and the $eath of 2topia, New Dor , Larrar, Strauss, Airou"& Auanghua, F& *ed&0 +,,/& Ine3ua ity and 4rowth in Modern China, >"#ord. >"#ord University 'ress& Hameson, L& *+,,90 Luture City& 5ew %eft 1e&iew, +8&

Hameson, L& *+,,J0 1he 'olitics o# Uto$ia& 5ew %eft 1e&iew, +B& 4aclau, 2& *+,,,0 Constructing Universality& In6 3utler, H&, 4aclau, 2& = ie , S& *2ds&0 Contingency, Hegemony, 2ni&ersa ity+ 4ondon. Kerso& 4evitas, @& *+,,:0 4oo ing #or the 3lue. 1he Necessity o# Uto$ia& !ourna of -o itica Ideo ogies, 8+, +/--9,P& Sachs, H& +,,/& Common 7ea th6 'conomics for a Crowded - anet, New Dor , 'enguin 'ress& 1aylor, A&, director *+,,:0 "i#ek, 4ondon. Eca Lilms& ie , S& *8-/-0 The Su) ime *)(ect of Ideo ogy& 4ondon. Kerso& ie , S& *+,,,0 6;a Ca$o Sen<a Line7 En 3utler,H& 4aclau,2 &ie , S& *2ds&0 Contingency, Hegemony, 2ni&ersa ity& 4ondon. Kerso& ie , S& +,,J& 2thical SocialismI No, 1han sR @e$ly to 3oucher& Te eos, 8+-& ie , S& *+,,/0 In $efense of %ost Causes+ 4ondon. Kerso& ie , S& *+,,-a0 First as Tragedy, then as Farce, 4ondon. Kerso& ie , S& *+,,-(0 Cow to 3egin #rom the 3eginning, 5ew %eft 1e&iew, B:& ie , S& *+,8,0 %i&ing in 'nd Times+ 4ondon. Kerso&