“Writing a Name in the Sky”: Rancière, Cavell, and the possibility of egalitarian inscription

‘Beyond civil bounds’: The demos, political agency, subjectivation and democracy's boundary problem

“…While Rancière thus nudges towards elements which complicate the efficacy of political subjectivation, he seems insufficiently attentive to the degree of opposition agents may face, both from the state and from those already enfranchised. This connects to the critique that Rancière insufficiently theorises the way a demos may become enfranchised or emancipated through subjectivation and inscribed into the police order (Myers, 2016;Norval, 2012). Although these latter theorists raise valid points, Rancière's focus on the very act of subjectivation need not render his conceptualisations invalid (Davis, 2010, p. 95).…”

A Sociological Perspective on the Experience of Contention

“…That is, they can celebrate the fact that societies are always open to change and to conflict. Experiences do this by having open boundaries, which make it easier for new identities and demands to be expressed; by acknowledging that the production of truth cannot be completely extricated from particular conflicts; and by cultivating an ethos in which opponents may respect and perhaps even value each other (Connolly 2002(Connolly , 2005Lefort 1988;Norval 2012).…”

“…These analyses have broached the question of conflict, but they rarely take it as the central research question. In this way, the questions posed within the experience perspective are closer to a strand of political theory that analyzes how seminal political writers construct conflict (Lefort 1988; Lucchese 2009; Norval 2012). Contrary to this tradition, however, the experience perspective is less concerned with the texts themselves and more with how practices express the necessary potential for conflict.…”

Rethinking homo economicus in the political sphere

“…For studies drawing on Rancière to show how this counting changes with respect to those miscounted—from queer politics to class politics (see Bosteels, ; Chambers, , ; Hallward, , Norval, ).…”

“…Rancière refers to the practice of ignorance and I suspect that in doing so he is influenced by Foucault. In discussing indisciplinary thought, he says that "it must practice a certain ignorance" (2006, p. 9).11 For studies drawing on Rancière to show how this counting changes with respect to those miscounted-from queer politics to class politics (seeBosteels, 2009;Chambers, 2009Chambers, , 2012Hallward, 2005, Norval, 2012.12 Theorists includingGutmann & Thompson (2009) argue for investing in slow, time-consuming deliberations because they require participants to give reasons, contest justifications, and not necessarily settle on bare majority decisionmaking, and it adds legitimacy to the decision-making process as well as the ability to revisit and re-evaluate decisions.…”