ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the concept of radical democracy—first theorized by Chantal Mouffe and Ernesto Laclau in their seminal 1985 book, Hegemony and Socialist Strategy: Towards a Radical Democratic Politics—and its potential effect on the discipline and practice of architecture. Specifically, it suggests that avoiding difficult political and ethical positions so that no one is offended by strong institutional positions on such topical issues as the US Southern border walls, or detention centers, or climate change, is the opposite of what is needed today. Radical democracy offers a model of embracing disagreement so issues of vital importance can be debated, refined, and democratically dispersed. The essay examines the implication of radical democracy at three scales—geopolitics, institutions, and offices—and concludes with a plea for architects to participate in a more politicized and engaged profession.
