Introduction

This introduction presents an overview of a key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book outlines the theoretical context, genealogy and concerns driving the project of radical democracy. It sketches the main lineaments of the diverse projects, discourses and practices that can be called radical democracy, along with their interconnections, drawing particular attention to their uptakes of post-foundational insights. The book explores themes of anti-essentialism, pluralism, the processes and problems of subjectification, multidimensional and fragmented identities, along with some of the critical perspectives on power and agency that throw light on the complex connections between persons, their actions, and political engagement. It examines recent attempts to envisage the post-foundational democratic community and public sphere. The book discusses the rearticulation of the tenets of liberal democratic theory and politics within a post-foundational radical framework. It asks the question of how democracy might be rethought most effectively for a globalized age.