Counter-Democracy

Abstract

Democracy is established as a generally uncontested ideal, while regimes inspired by this form of government fall under constant criticism. Hence, the steady erosion of confidence in representatives that has become one of the major political issues of our time. Amidst these challenges, the paradox remains that while citizens are less likely to make the trip to the ballot box, the world is far from entering a phase of general political apathy. Demonstrations and activism abound in the streets, in cities across the globe and on the internet. Pierre Rosanvallon analyses the mechanisms used to register a citizen's expression of confidence or distrust, and then focuses on the role that distrust plays in democracy from both a historical and theoretical perspective. This radical shift in perspective uncovers a series of practices - surveillance, prevention, and judgement - through which society corrects and exerts pressure.

Deliberative Platform Design: The Case Study of the Online Discussions in Decidim Barcelona

“…The crisis of representative democracy in the last three decades [26,28] has been identified with the crisis of democracy itself [9,19]. Some authors have criticized the technocratic tendencies operating in this period as signs of the rise of postdemocracy [8] or post-politics [25,31], while others, more precisely, have used the term "post-representation", to refer to the emptying out (of power and meaning) of representative institutions by dynamics ranging from globalization to growing citizen mistrust [6,19].…”

The Cultural Construction of Migrant Women in the Italian Press

“…In the last decades, the public sphere underwent a process of "mediatization" (Mazzoleni and Schultz, 1999): scholars consider contemporary societies to be "Democracies of the Public" (Manin, 1992; see also Rosanvallon, 2008).…”

„Kritiški piliečiai“? Posovietinės jaunimo kartos požiūris į demokratiją, politiką ir sovietinę praeitį

“…Mažėjantis žmonių susidomėjimas politika ir dalyvaujančiųjų rinkimuose, taip pat -stojančiųjų į partijas skaičius, silpnėjanti partinė identifikacija, stiprėjančios radikalios dešinės partijos, -tai tik keletas su minėtuoju demokratijos "saulėlydžiu" siejamų problemų. Vis dėlto šalia šių pesimistinių idėjų pateikiama kita demokratijos būklės versija, pabrėžiant, kad besikeičiantis piliečių elgesys turėtų būti laikomas ne krize, o tam tikru nauju demokratijos raidos etapu (Rosanvallon 2008).…”