20170321-Gao-Thesis.pdf (1.66 MB)
Myth of the Mythless: Why the Left and Politics Still Need Mythology
thesis
posted on 2017-03-23, 02:54 authored by Liyan GaoMyths are a visionary
sacred narrative that provides society with its values, significance and
symbolic foundation. In the current field of politics, where liberal
rationalism of Habermas and Rawls dominate, myths are viewed with suspicion.
They denote falsehood, archaic knowledge or tool for mass manipulation. It is
dismissed as a mode of thought incongruous to the modern political world
because of its ‘irrationality’. This desire to purge myths from politics fails
to recognise the ineradicable role of myth as a symbolic and affective form.
How it provides society with collective representation and understanding of the
world. As a consequence, they are essential for effective politics; they
bestowed the faith and motivational drives that orient our actions. The Left
needs to engage with the mythical to intervene and challenge the prevailing
market logic of neoliberalism and rise in xenophobia. This does not entail
succumbing to dogmatism, as Barthes claims; on the contrary, myths are not
formalistically naturalising but rather permit a pluralism of meaning that can
support emancipatory politics. Tapping into the current demands of ‘real’
democracy from political movements, a ‘myth of democratic politics ’ based on
Rancièrean work, can provide a foundational framework to realise a new vision
of politics based on dissensus and power of the people. It is a vision of
politics that can revive the Left as a powerful political force, which shapes
our collective future.
History
Principal supervisor
Paul MuldoonAdditional supervisor 1
Michael UreYear of Award
2017Department, School or Centre
School of Social Sciences (Monash Australia)Course
Master of ArtsDegree Type
MASTERSCampus location
AustraliaFaculty
Faculty of ArtsUsage metrics
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