The Power to Assume Form: Cornelius Castoriadis and Regulative Regimes of Historicity

The thesis analyses the contemporary trend of ‘depoliticisation’ in Western contexts that are indicative of dynamics that are shaping a transition of liberal-democratic societies into newly configured regimes that are laden with new political questions. A theory of historicity is proposed that foregrounds how societies are shaped by implicit forms of instituting power that regulate cultural activity. Based on this theory of historicity, the thesis develops an alternate perspective on the perceived ‘crisis’ of democratic culture in Western contexts.