ABSTRACT
Chapter 3 presents the methodological and theoretical foundation of the book. More specifically, it describes how key insights from discourse theory – not least as developed by Ernesto Laclau and Chantal Mouffe – are useful for understanding and unpacking contemporary post-truth worlds. The chapter delineates the underlying ontological premises for the study, describing why post-foundationalist political philosophy is a productive starting point for investigating contemporary struggles in and around questions of democracy, truth, and politics. Following this, the chapter turns to the methodological components involved in studying such struggles. In this chapter, we outline our methods for collecting an archive of more than 650 public documents, consisting of international news articles, media comments, political speeches, scholarly articles, books, and policy reports, and reflect on some of the limitations facing such an approach. Taken together, the chapter offers a scholarly foundation for the analytical part of the book. It takes us to the heart of contemporary debates on post-truth and the state of democracy.
