Pulling democracy up by its bootstraps? Or why contemporary democracy is so complicated

Abstract

Several scholars have dedicated numerous works around democracy in contemporary Western societies with a sociohistorical and sociological twist. Democracy, democratizing and democratization are all notions worthwhile exploring. By tackling the democratic state of a country, beyond the mere formal of the epithet, a triadic structure of contemporary political life unpacks itself: nation, state and regime; all pillars of the political culture and sociological relations between government and the governed. With a specific attention paid to countries which have been experiencing democratic decline and counter-trends of autoctorization, the panel seeks to discuss and share empirical research from different angles and sensibilities in social sciences. Therefore, contributions on issues concerning democratic rule, sovereignism, nationalism, populism, bottom-up protest are well-endorsed. The panel wishes to juxtapose main theses about democracy in its value, cultural and institutional forms. The aim is to further elucidate the topicality of observations of different scholars vis-à-vis political sociology, social theory, law and politics. Panel organizers hope that common discussion within the panel be beneficial to both participants and public, and even might inspire a collective publication (if conditions and terms are met).

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