Counter-Democracy: Politics in an Age of DistrustDemocracy 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. |
Contents
Overseeing democracy | |
Vigilance denunciation evaluation | |
The overseers | |
The thread of history | |
Legitimacy conflicts | |
Negative politics | |
The people as judge | |
Historical references | |
Almost legislators | |
The preference for judgment | |
Unpolitical democracy | |
The sense of powerlessness and symbols of depoliticization | |
The populist temptation | |
The sovereignty of prevention | |
From the right of resistance to complex sovereignty | |
Selfcritical democracies | |
Lessons of unpolitical economy | |
the modern mixed regime | |
Other editions - View all
Counter-Democracy: Politics in an Age of Distrust Pierre Rosanvallon,Arthur Goldhammer No preview available - 2008 |
Counter-Democracy: Politics in an Age of Distrust Pierre Rosanvallon,Arthur Goldhammer No preview available - 2008 |
Counter-Democracy: Politics in an Age of Distrust Pierre Rosanvallon,Arthur Goldhammer No preview available - 2008 |
Common terms and phrases
action active Athenian democracy authority ballot box Benjamin Constant citizens conception constitutional counter counterdemocracy counterdemocratic powers counterpowers courts critical sovereignty decisions defined democracy democratic démocratie denunciation described direct democracy distrust economic elected electoral electoralrepresentative ephors established evaluation example exercise expression Fichte French French Revolution function Hannah Arendt Histoire history of democracy Ibid idea impeachment institutionalized institutions judge judgment judicial jury justice legitimacy liberal modern Mogens Herman Hansen Montesquieu moral negative politics nineteenth century officials one’s opposition organizations Paris Parliament parliamentarism parliamentary participation people’s peuple Pierre Rosanvallon politique popular sovereignty populism pouvoir powers of oversight Presses Universitaires preventive power procedure proposed public opinion radical recall regime regulation representation representative democracy representative government resistance Revolution revolutionary role Rosanvallon scandal sense social structure surveillance theorists theory today’s Tribunate universal suffrage University Press unpolitical various vigilance vote voters watchdog whistleblower