Ernesto Laclau was an Argentine political theorist and philosopher.
12 Facts About Ernesto Laclau
2.
Ernesto Laclau is often described as an 'inventor' of post-Marxist political theory.
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Ernesto Laclau is well known for his collaborations with his long-term partner, Chantal Mouffe.
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Ernesto Laclau studied history at the University of Buenos Aires Faculty of Philosophy and Letters, graduating with a licenciatura in 1964, and received a PhD from the University of Essex in 1977.
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Over his career Laclau lectured extensively in many universities in North America, South America, Western Europe, Australia, and South Africa.
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Ernesto Laclau held positions at SUNY Buffalo and Northwestern University, both in the US.
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Ernesto Laclau studied history at the University of Buenos Aires and was a member of the PSIN until 1969, when the British historian Eric Hobsbawm supported his entrance to Oxford.
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Ernesto Laclau had close links with Jorge Abelardo Ramos, the founder of the PSIN, although he stated in 2005 that the latter had evolved in a direction he did not appreciate.
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Ernesto Laclau subsequently used this account of discourse to re-consider the nature of identity, arguing that all political identities are discursive - even if they are experienced by individuals as 'natural'.
10.
In On Populist Reason, Ernesto Laclau considered the nature of populism in political discourse, the creation of a popular hegemonic bloc such as "the people", and the importance of affect in politics.
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Against those who see populism as a threat to democracy, Ernesto Laclau argued that it is an essential component of it.
12.
Ernesto Laclau is known for his long standing dialogue with Lacanian "arch-Marxist" Slavoj Zizek.