Cultural artefacts as places of political contestation : radical democracy, discursive ‘groundlessness’ and The Name of the Rose

Abstract

This article, taking as its point of departure the validity of Laclau and Mouffe’s perspectives on radical democracy, focuses, in particular, on whether or not neo-Marxist cultural criticism could, conceivably, have recourse to what were previously considered ‘high’ cultural artefacts. In an effort to argue in favour of the political relevance of certain ostensibly ‘high’ cultural artefacts to the neo-Marxist project of radical democracy, this article begins by exploring the way in which an awareness of discursive ‘groundlessness’ constitutes a necessary feature of the complex negotiations between, and within, the coalitions of a Left-wing hegemony. After this, it focuses, on the one hand, on the extent to which Umberto Eco’s novel The Name of the Rose (1983), because of its thematization of such discursive ‘groundlessness’, has the potential, albeit only incrementally, to help usher in radical democratic change, and, on the other hand, on how the commercial co-option and rearticulation of Eco’s novel, through Annaud’s 1984 film version of The Name of the Rose, effectively dissolves and negates the political potential of the literary work. In short, through drawing into conspicuousness the discursive tensions that exist between the literary work and its cinematic rearticulation, this article endeavours to provide an example that highlights both the manner in which the realm of cultural consumption continues to constitute an arena of political struggle, and, consequently, the need for further consideration and discussion of the discursive orientation of neo-Marxist cultural criticism.

Hierdie artikel, wat as vertrekpunt die geldigheid van Laclau en Mouffe se perspektiewe op radikale demokrasie neem, fokus pertinent op die vraag of die neo-Marxistiese kulturele kritiek moontlik toegang kan hê tot wat voorheen beskou is as ‘hoë’ kulturele artefakte. In ’n poging om te argumenteer ten gunste van die politieke relevansie van bepaalde oënskynlik ‘hoë’ kulturele artefakte vir die neo-Marxistiese projek van radikale demokrasie, begin hierdie artikel deur ’n ondersoek te loods na hoe ’n bewussyn van diskursiewe ‘grondeloosheid’ ’n noodsaaklike kenmerk verteenwoordig van die komplekse onderhandelings tussen, en binne, die koalisies van ’n Linksgesinde hegemonie. Hierna word daar enersyds gefokus op die mate waarin Umberto Eco se roman The Name of the Rose (1983), deur die tematisering daarin van sodanige iskursiewe ‘grondeloosheid’, die potensiaal het, sy dit deur geleidelike toename, radikale demokratiese verandering tot stand kan help bring, en andersyds op hoe die kommersiële koöptering en herartikulasie van Eco se roman deur Annaud se filmweergawe van The Name of the Rose in 1984 die politieke potensiaal van die literêre werk effektief ophef en negeer. Kortom, deur die aandag te vestig op die diskursiewe spanninge tussen die literêre werk en die kinematografiese herartikulasie daarvan, poog hierdie artikel om ’n voorbeeld te voorsien wat die soeklig laat val op sowel die wyse waarop die terrein van kulturele konsumpsie voortgaan om as politieke strydperk te dien, as die gevolglike noodsaak vir die verdere oorweging en bespreking van die diskursiewe oriëntasie van die neo-Marxistiese kulturele kritiek.