SECRECY SINCE SEPTEMBER 11 Jodi Dean Hobart-William Smith Colleges, Geneva, NY ................ Taking up the notion of the secret invoked in the US discussion of September 11 and the norm of publicity conceptualized by Jurgen Habermas, this article considers the inextricable link of publicity and secrecy. It argues that under contemporary conditions of communicative capitalism, the notions of public and publicity undermine aspirations to democracy. It develops this point further via an engagement with the work of Ernesto Laclau, demonstrating the depoliticiz- ing effects of the concept. ................ Introduction The idea of the public typically assumed in Anglo-American contexts relies on a fetishistic disavowal that takes the form described by Slavoj Zizek as ‘I know, but nevertheless I believe’ (Zizek 1991). Fetishistic disavowal is at work when one thinks one knows something to be the case, yet one acts ...................................................................................... interventions Vol. 6(3) 362 /380 (ISSN 1369-801X print/1469-929X online) Copyright # 2004 Taylor & Francis Ltd DOI: 10.1080/1369801042000280023 secrecy September 11 hegemony universality communica- tive capitalism Internet