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Thesis Eleven, Vol. 87, No. 1,
33-50 (2006)
DOI: 10.1177/0725513606068774
© 2006 Thesis Eleven Pty, Ltd., SAGE Publications
The Politics of Claude Lefort's Political: Between Liberalism and Radical Democracy
James D. Ingram
Claude Lefort's rethinking of ‘the political’ has been highly fruitful for political theory, yet its politics remain unclear. It has inspired transformative, radical-democratic projects, but has also served as a basis for more liberal conceptions. This article explores the sources and implications of this ambiguity by setting Lefort's work against the backdrop of the anti-totalitarian moment in French political thought and the trajectories of two of his students, Miguel Abensour and Marcel Gauchet. It emerges that although Lefort's democratic theory cannot be reduced to a defensive liberalism, neither is it as expansive as some might hope.
Key Words: Miguel Abensour • Marcel Gauchet • Claude Lefort • liberalism • radical democracy • ‘the political’
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