Towards a New Taxonomy of Democracy

Abstract

Democracy is an example of an essentially contested subject par excellence. Disputation over the meaning of democracy usually turns on the issue of whether democracy should be understood substantively or procedurally. This paper presents the view that these disputes ignore a more fundamental – and logically anterior – question, namely what is the “demos”? It is etymologically indisputable that democracy means rule of “the People”, but what is this? This paper will argue that “the People” should not be reified as something self-evident but is rather a social construct. As such, it is a concept perennially in flux, with no fixed meaning. This paper will posit a new taxonomy of democracy on the basis of these varying conceptualisations of “the People”.