Against antagonism in social ontology

Alienation and the pertinence of Critical Theory for late modern political analysis

Abstract

In contemporary social and political theory, thinkers from the left as well as those from the right very often start from the basis of an antogistic social ontology. They take it for granted that there are irreconcilable conflicts and divergencies of interest between social groups such that, as Laclau, Rancière and others would have it, eternal struggle is not just unavoidable, but desirable, since its absence signifies nothing but the unchecked hegemony of a particular social faction. This view corresponds to a social reality in which political actors simply perceive of each other as allies or as enemies and obstacles that need to be fought or silenced. Such a reality inevitably produces a growing sense of political alienation. By contrast, this contribution claims that we should start from a relational social ontology which implies that social relations are not a priori given, but are themselves a product of social and political institutions and practices. Hence, relationships between social groups need not be antagonistic, but can take on a wide variety of forms. Critical Theory therefore should focus on the nature and quality of social, physical, temporal and spatial relationships established in social institutions. The paper then goes on to delevop the conceptual framework for such an analysis based on the theory of resonance.