The Overdetermination and Knotting in Nicos Poulantzas: A Nodal Theory of the State

Abstract

This article offers a new interpretation of Nicos Poulantzas' theory of the State, combining Marxist and psychoanalytic perspectives. It demonstrates that his relational conception of the State is deeply linked to Althusserian theoretical problematic, particularly the effort to think about the materiality of the political-state within the framework of a complex social topology. Through an analysis of the logics of overdetermination and knotting, the text explores the nodal structure of the State in Poulantzan's theory. Incorporating Lacan's concept of the "Borromean knot", it is argued that the internal dynamics of the State express the intertwining of heterogeneous practices and devices, with unequal efficacies that vary according to historical conjunctures. Thus, the article not only updates Poulantzas' theoretical legacy but also offers analytical tools to examine processes of political and social change from a materialist perspective.