Humanism from an agonistic perspective: Themes from the work of Bonnie Honig

Abstract

Few theorists have done more in recent years to explore and develop our understanding of the political conflicts and struggles that lie at the heart of democratic politics than Bonnie Honig. Through books such as Emergency Politics: Paradox, Law, and Democracy (2009) Politics (1993), along with numerous scholarly journal articles, Honig has sought to develop an agonistic account of democratic politics, and also sketch out a role for political theorising that alerts us to the exclusions and remainders that accompany any political order. She prompts us to be attentive to these exclusions, and to believe that political theory should provide resources for those engaged in democratic activism to challenge the existing order of things. At the same time, we are reminded to be solicitous towards democratic achievements, and to protect those institutions that make democratic life possible against the challenge of more authoritarian forms of politics. Thus we should engage in both 'combat', as we seek to render our democratic institutions more open, inclusive, and just, and also 'care' as we seek to protect the values that have been created in, and by, the --always imperfect --forms of democratic politics that we currently possess.

Basic human needs: abstraction, indeterminacy and the political account of need

“…And what purpose, furthermore, can such a theory serve? That approach, I argue, is an immanent form of theorising inspired by agonistic and realist trends in contemporary political theory (Galston, 2010;Honig, 1993;Humphrey et al, 2014). Because such an approach is premised on abandoning the search for transcendental solutions, it does not attempt to assign needs normative importance in abstract, extra-political conditions, instead taking as its starting point the actual political settlements that one finds in contemporary life.…”

“…161-183;Honig, 1993, p. 13). Finally, by examining contemporary settlements political accounts of need can reveal dynamics that were previously obscured, thus clarifying next steps, and providing conceptual resources for actors involved in political processes (Humphrey et al, 2014).…”