BEYOND REPRESENTATION? A CRITIQUE OF THE CONCEPT OF THE REFERENT

Abstract

It is generally acknowledged that we should distinguish representation as such from that which is represented. The referent designates the latter, understood as the thing in itself to which a representation refers. Yet, authors such as Michael Saward or Frank Ankersmit argue that representation has a constitutive nature; hereby meaning that representation not only reflects reality, but actively creates reality in the sense that it brings about new collective identities. As such, a conceptual tension arises between the notion of the referent and the constitutive nature of representation. In this article I elaborate upon this tension by focusing on the work of Michael Saward. To what extent is the referent reconcilable with the constitutive nature of representation? And in what way will the answer to this question affect our conception of politics in general and political representation in particular?