Space, Subjectivity, and Politics

This article questions the more exaggerated claims of a freestanding “spatial heuristic” in explaining, justifying and criticizing social practices, not least because the category of space remains undertheorized and conceptually indeterminate. Building upon the work of Jacques Derrida, Michel Foucault, Martin Heidegger, Ernesto Laclau, and others, the article clarifies the category of space, showing precisely how and why it is important for understanding politics, subjectivity, and ethics. It calls for the envisaging of “spaces of heterogeneity” that are compatible with radical democratic demands for equality and a “politics of becoming,” and that can form the basis of a post-structuralist conception of cosmopolitanism.