Slavoj Zizek

Often described as a postmodern thinker (e.g. Miklitsch, 1998), Žižek’s interventions have been numerous – from cinema to cyberspace, cognitivism, theology, music and opera as well as social theory. Žižek, however, rejects postmodernism’s preoccupation with differentia specifica in favour of philosophical transcendentalism and an ongoing commitment to political universalism. Various works by the Essex School of discourse theory (e.g. Torfing, 1999; Stavrakakis, 1999) have tended to link Žižek with the postmarxist thought of Laclau and Mouffe and as an implicit supporter of radical democracy. In reality, Žižek gives only partial support for postmarxist theory and has criticised the project of radical democracy on the grounds that, despite its emphasis on antagonism, it does not place enough stress on the fundamentals of economic power (Žižek in Butler et al, 2000: 319).