La democracia y los excluidos : apuntes para una teoría cultural de la transformación “posdemocrática”.

Abstract

In the debate on the “crisis” of the Western liberal democracies, we can recognize a theoretical counterposition between different visions of democracy. On one side, someone denounces the “post-democratic” drift by revealing the residue between the ambitious democratic ideals and their concrete realization. On the other side, someone else answers the scope of the transformation by resorting to a much less demanding normative model of democracy, which can be referred more or less directly to the democratic elitism of Joseph A. Schumpeter. The article states that the discussion cannot have a solution, because it implies a contrast between opposing normative models. All that remains is to reintroduce the perspective of the subjects into the very definition of democracy, elaborating a cultural theory of democracy, capable of recording the fact that conflicts are more or less constantly modifying the meanings of democracy itself. Precisely for this reason, a cultural theory of democracy –which puts the same definition and redefinition of democracy at the centre of a constant conflict between different interpretations– cannot ignore the voice of the excluded.

Keywords:

Liberal democracy Post-democracy Democratic elitism Cultural theory of democracy

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