Ernesto Laclau has blazed a unique trail in political theory and philosophy since the early 1970s. In so doing, he has articulated a range of philosophical and theoretical currents into a coherent alternative to mainstream models and practices of conducting social and political science.

David Howarth is a Reader in the Department of Government and Co-Director of the Centre for Theoretical Studies at the University of Essex.

David Howarth, 'Introduction: Post-Marxism, Populism, and Critique' Section I: Post-Marxist Political Theory: Discourse, Hegemony, and Signification 1. 'Discourse' 2. 'Dislocation and Capitalism' and 'Social Imaginary and Democratic Revolution' 3. 'Why do Empty Signifiers Matter to Politics' 4 'The Death and Resurrection of the Theory of Ideology' 5 'Ideology and Post-Marxism' Section II: Analyzing Populism 6 'Towards a Theory of Populism' 7 'Populism: What's in a name?' 8 'Why Constructing a "People" is the Main Task of Radical Politics' Section III: Critical Engagements 9. 'The Time is out of Joint' 10 'Can Immanence Explain Social Struggles' 11 'On Real and Absolute Enemies' 12 'Bare Life or Social Indeterminacy' 13 'Community and its Paradoxes: Richard Rorty's "Liberal Utopia"' Conclusion 14. An Interview with Ernesto Laclau