The V Post-Structuralism and Social Theory Symposium is the international event organized by the Ideology and Discourse Analysis Research Group and the Graduate Program in Political Science at the Institute of Philosophy, Sociology, and Politics, Federal University of Pelotas, Pelotas, Brazil. Organized through conferences, roundtable discussions, and working groups, the aim of
the Symposium is to bring together researchers from Brazil and abroad for discussions around various theories situated in the field of post-structuralism, in a transdisciplinary perspective.

The theme of the fifth edition, “Exploring New Frontiers,” pays tribute to the legacy of the discourse theory of Ernesto Laclau and Chantal Mouffe. This year marks a decade since Laclau’s passing, which occurred on April 13, 2014.

Since the publication of the iconic “Hegemony and Socialist Strategy,” whose 40th anniversary will be celebrated in 2025, the uses of discourse theory have exceeded the boundaries of a thought system originally developed by its authors within the realms of political theory and philosophy. This is often misunderstood by its critics, as the theory of Laclau and Mouffe is a reflection on the Political, a dimension that is present and exerts its transformative effects not only in politics but also in other social spheres.

It is for this reason that discourse theory has expanded its academic boundaries, extending its frontiers of reflection to virtually all areas of the so-called human sciences. If the effects of the Political can be observed everywhere, in the sense of a general ontology, a wide range of research can take place based on this postulate dear to Laclau and Mouffe.

In this sense, the V Post-Structuralism and Social Theory Symposium invites everyone to critically reflect on the numerous possibilities opened up by the thought of Laclau and Mouffe, always from a transdisciplinary perspective. On one hand, exploring new frontiers of thought from the authors’ theory means recognizing the importance and legacy of discourse theory; on the other hand, venturing into new frontiers requires us to look at this theoretical perspective with a critical eye, recognizing the need to continue developing and expanding the horizons of a theory that, being post-structuralist, is never complete.