Description
From Disenchantment to Populism
Book Summary
In a context of crisis for traditional political categories, this book proposes a cartography of the present through a dialogue between Argentine psychoanalyst Jorge Alemán and Spanish philosopher Germán Cano. The work explores the transformations of citizen disenchantment and its potential channeling into new forms of political articulation, offering keys to understanding the rise of populism as a contemporary phenomenon. An essential essay for those seeking conceptual tools that allow for thinking about politics beyond established frameworks.
What is it about?
The work is structured as a dialogue between two intellectuals who address, from their respective disciplines, the crisis of political representation and the exhaustion of categories inherited from modernity. Starting from disenchantment as a social symptom, Alemán and Cano analyze how this unease is transformed into political energy, giving rise to populism as a phenomenon that challenges traditional logic. Throughout the conversation, concepts such as hegemony, the people, political subjectivity, and the relationship between psychoanalysis and politics are examined, offering a profound reflection on the possibilities of emancipation in the 21st century.
Main Topics
- Crisis of political representation and exhaustion of traditional categories of thought.
- Disenchantment as a subjective condition and its transformative potential in political terms.
- Analysis of populism as a logic of political articulation and construction of the people.
- Relationship between psychoanalysis and politics to understand contemporary social phenomena.
- Cartography of the present: new coordinates for thinking about emancipation and democracy.
Who is it recommended for?
This book is aimed at readers interested in political philosophy, contemporary social theory, and psychoanalysis applied to the social realm. It is particularly relevant for students and professionals in political science, sociology, philosophy, and the humanities, as well as anyone seeking to understand current political dynamics beyond media discourses. It is also a valuable read for those wishing to explore the populist phenomenon from a critical and non-reductionist perspective.
What this book contributes
- An interdisciplinary look that articulates psychoanalysis and philosophy to analyze contemporary politics.
- Conceptual tools to understand populism beyond the usual prejudices and simplifications.
- A lucid diagnosis of social malaise and its possible political drifts.
- Keys to rethinking democracy and emancipation in a context of crisis for traditional institutions.
- A dialogue format that facilitates the understanding of complex ideas from complementary perspectives.
Technical Data
- Author: Alemán, Jorge; Cano Cuenca, Germán
- Publisher: Ned Ediciones
- Language: Spanish
- Topic: Memoirs, literary essays, social and political philosophy, social theory, politics and government
- Collection: Huellas y señales
- Binding: Paperback
- Publication Date: February 2017
- Number of pages: 224
- Weight: 312 g
Editorial Review
From Disenchantment to Populism presents itself as a timely and necessary work in a moment of profound global political transformation. The dialogue between Alemán and Cano succeeds in building bridges between psychoanalysis and political philosophy to offer a nuanced reading of populism, far from both demonization and idealization. Its main value lies in providing a rigorous theoretical framework to analyze phenomena that traditional approaches fail to explain satisfactorily. A book that invites readers to think, discuss, and question established certainties about contemporary politics.