Here comes the magic ?

As an initial post, I suppose I better set the scene as to the purpose and background of this blog. Essentially it is a vehicle to discuss my ideas on the way to writing a Master's thesis. Writing is not my strongest suite, and I plan to use this blog to test myself and condense my thoughts.

My thesis is anchored around the work of Ernesto Laclau (and his Discourse Theory), Slavoj Zizek and Jacques Lacan. Along the way I will discuss my knowledge of these theorists. However, these writings will be necessarily incomplete. I am just beginning to come to grips with them, particularly Lacan and Zizek. Nethertheless, hopefully my writing and knowledge will develop along the way.

My strongest suite here is Ernesto Laclau. My honours dissertation last year focused on his work, supplemented by Slavoj Zizek (and thus Lacan). I enjoy Laclau's work, and find it productive, yet incomplete. I will extend on this in a further post, but it is enough to say that I find Laclau's 'final' position, which can be condensed into this statement from 'New reflections on the revolutions of our time;

'The ideal society is not one that better matches human nature, but simply one that makes us more aware of the contingency of its organisation'

rather short-sighted. However, I find Zizek's alternative, more psychoanalytic approach, (although I have to admit I know little of it) of traversing the fantasy and the ethical act, as equally short-sighted, and perhaps more dangerous.

Therefore, what I seek to do is expand my knowledge of all three theorists, perhaps supplemented by others who are unknown to me at this time, and come up with what seems to me to be a more reasonable and practical approach. Along the way I hope to intergrate as much of Zizek and Laclau's work into one approach, as there is much congruency between the two, particularly as Laclau, and others in his School of Ideology and Discourse Analysis (at the University of Essex) appear to be moving towards more of a psychoanalytic approach.

Anyway, that is the challenge. Hopefully any consequent posts will not be as rambling and incoherent as this one, but you have to start somewhere, and that somewhere is here.