Ethos, Agonism and Populism: William Connolly and the Case for Radical Democracy

Abstract

This article explores William Connolly's call for a pluralist ethos and a politics of becoming as an antidote to the current malaise of liberal democratic governance. Evaluating Connolly's theoretical approach alongside Ernesto Laclau's logic of populism and Chantal Mouffe's advocacy of agonistic pluralism, it endeavours to synthesise these various post-structuralist interventions into a more encompassing proposal for radical democracy.