Introduction
With the advent of modernity, scientific reason diminished the influence of religious doctrine, and for two centuries, secular principles have dominated political life. Yet today, the beliefs and doctrines that sustain nations and national structures are being shaken. This has created space for critical re-examinations of the foundational principles of modernity, including those long regarded as beyond question. The late modern era represents the nascent stage of humanity’s “new revolutionary configuration.”1 The process culminates in the “exit from democracy”2 or the disintegration of the people3 for neoliberal political reasons. The nation-state’s sovereignty based on national structure is slipping away. Therefore, a radical change is taking place. In drawing on Plato’s homology of city and soul, the American political theorist Wendy Brown points out that the coordinates of the new homology are economic rather than political and that the result is frightening for popular sovereignty.4
A review of recent social science research indicates that ideologies are no longer significant in shaping political and social attitudes.5 However, some scholars have identified a resurgence in nationalism.6 In contrast to these perspectives, Brown proposes that neoliberal policies have undermined the political sovereignty that sustains nation-states. Brown’s analysis presents a novel and ambitious approach to understanding the dissolution of the people and their sovereignty.7 In this regard, it is evident that there is a pervasive ambiguity surrounding the liberal order. In essence, the revolution of space that facilitated modernity8 and the sovereignty that resulted from the revolution is now receding from the nation-state’s grasp.
