Ernesto Laclau and Chantal Mouffe are two of the most important figures in philosophy and political theory today. Their work helped establish key themes such as 'hegemony' in contemporary debate and continues to have great influence on discussions of the formation of power and identity in contemporary philosophy and political theory. Laclau and Mouffe is the first introduction to the work of these two key thinkers. Anna Marie Smith brings out the main themes of their work, showing how they have used the perspectives of Gramsci and poststructuralist theory to challenge traditional political theory. She also provides a useful starting point to examining some of the weaknesses in Laclau and Mouffe's work and how some of their ideas have been anticipated by critiques in feminist theory, race theory, lesbian and gay studies and multiculturalism.