Notes towards an understanding of democracy according to Chantal Mouffe

Abstract

This article aims to present Chantal Mouffe's democratic theory. As an introduction to her thought, it provides an overview of key concepts essential to understanding the author, such as anti-essentialism, hegemony, antagonism, the distinction between the political and politics, critiques of consensus theories, and, finally, the affective dimension. According to Mouffe, although we are witnessing an “affective turn,” most theorists and political actors still conceive politics as a space of purely rational deliberation. For the author, nothing could be further from reality. The construction of a democratic social body requires the articulation of power, discourse, and affect, making a democratic society unthinkable without a new imaginary. In the second part of the article, we explore political passions in light of Mouffe’s theory, illustrating the discussion with examples from contemporary politics, such as the rise of the far right in the United States, moralism in politics, and the leadership of Érika Hilton in Brazil.