Articulations of Desire: Populism and the Future of Democracy

Descripción del proyecto

Una opinión novedosa sobre el concepto de populismo

A medida que las democracias de todo el mundo reaccionan a desafíos sin precedentes, la desconfianza y el escepticismo han aumentado y conducido a la inestabilidad política. El futuro incierto de las instituciones democráticas se ve magnificado por el resurgir del populismo, que cuestiona las normas existentes y desafía a la sabiduría política convencional. El proyecto AoD, financiado con fondos europeos, aborda el populismo como el estallido de deseos colectivos reprimidos, empezando con la idea de que la falta de respuesta al deseo puede poner en peligro los procesos democráticos, ya que deslegitima las reivindicaciones institucionales de autoridad democrática soberana. Al desarrollar un concepto de deseo político y examinar la naturaleza del populismo, AoD busca una comprensión nueva de la colectividad democrática que ponga a prueba los modelos liberales dominantes. Además, utiliza herramientas conceptuales para seguir investigando sobre filosofía política y democracia.

Objetivo

This project argues for a coherent concept of political desire as a necessary step toward understanding the limitations of democratic institutions. As democracies around the world react to unprecedented challenges, distrust of the various national and supranational institutions presiding over North American and European democracy has risen sharply. This skepticism has led to unstable political conditions and an agitated populace. The uncertain future of democratic institutions is magnified by populist resurgences that challenge existing norms and defy conventional political wisdom. A mounting concern to philosophers and political scientists alike, populism has been identified as a significant result – and sometimes source – of political turmoil. However, an understanding of precisely how and why these movements arise and gain traction has not been given due attention from a broader philosophical position. “Articulations of Desire” (AoD) contends that there is more at stake in populism than unrest, demagoguery, and mob rule. Seen through a lenses of order and disorder, rationality and irrationality, populism is thought to be the chaotic and ungovernable whims of the masses. However, this project approaches populism as the eruption of repressed collective desire. This project assert that unresponsiveness to desire often does jeopardize democratic processes, but precisely because it delegitimizes institutional claims to sovereign democratic authority. Here, desire can be defined as a positive vector of expression and demand that is a foundational force of collectivity. By developing a concept of political desire and examining the nature of populism, this project seeks a new understanding of democratic collectivity that challenges dominant Liberal models. By developing this line of inquiry, this project seeks to expand the possibilities for future democratic thought and provide useful conceptual tools for further inquiries into political philosophy and democracy.