Abstract

This article deals with the category of antagonism as proposed by Ernesto Laclau, delving into its basal philosophies and analyzing some of their tensional aspects. We being by identifying two fields, namely, post-foundational political thought and the Lacanian left, and link them to the category of antagonism. Second, the philosophical tensions between the category and these fields are examined through two concrete exponents: Chantal Mouffe and Slavoj Žižek, reporting certain incompatibilities and criticism regarding both authors’ proposals. Finally, a few open questions are raised in regard to the category of antagonism, stemming from previous discussions and Laclau’s own limitations.