Constituent Power versus Autonomy of the Political

Two Symmetrical Aporias of Politics

Abstract

https://doi.org/10.1590/2179-8966/2025/93172

This essay revisits the trajectory of Italian operaismo by examining the tensions between Mario Tronti’s concept of the autonomy of the political and Antonio Negri’s notion of constituent power. Despite their opposing approaches, both currents converged toward symmetrical deadlocks: Tronti, by remaining within the Italian Communist Party, failed to reform its structure from within; Negri, by emphasizing radical autonomy and the constituent power of the masses, faced the political collapse and repression of the 1970s struggles. The analysis highlights the shared shortcomings of both perspectives, such as their neglect of subjectivity and institutional democracy, their lack of engagement with globalization and ecology, and their inability to translate insurgent potential into actual constitutional transformation. The essay concludes by stressing the need to rethink the articulation between social movements and institutional frameworks in order to enable genuine structural change in politics.