The Common and Counter-Hegemonic Politics: Re-Thinking Social Change

Description

Introduces agonistic theory and hegemony into contemporary debates on the commonAlexandros Kioupkiolis re-conceptualises the common in tandem with the political. By engaging with key thinkers of community and the commons, he harnesses the political thrust of a radical democratic politics of solidarity, equality and collective self-organisation. He calls into play poststructuralist conceptions of agonism and hegemony to remedy the failure of existing theories of the commons' to address power relations and division. Kioupkiolis argues that an effective politics of the common(s) must be combined with the politics of hegemony to advance another social configuration beyond state and capital. In the spirit of contemporary collective action, the strategy of hegemony should be transfigured by striking an imbalance between vertical structures and horizontal autonomy in favour of the common.Key FeaturesDraws on the work of Jean-Luc Nancy, Chantal Mouffe, Elinor Ostrom, Hardt and Negri, and Ernesto LaclauBreaks new ground by introducing agonistic theory and hegemony in the contemporary debate on the commons and communityClarifies contemporary theory by engaging with present-day examples of the politics of the common(s), including the governance of the digital commons, recent democratic mobilisations such as the Occupy movements and citizens’ municipal platforms of self-governance