Does it Still Make Sense to Invoke Trust Between Democratic Citizens?

In this paper we investigate the so-called phenomenon of democratic backsliding from the perspective of the systemic processes that endanger relationships of trust among fellow citizens. We argue that the notion of democratic trust is multidimensional, as it encompasses a strictly epistemic dimension, as well as a more practical-normative one, concerning the expectations we have regarding others and what they owe us in the public sphere. Against this backdrop, our analysis focuses on social fragmentation caused by structural forms of injustice, showing that asymmetries in power, status and real opportunities granted by privileged social positionings tend to foster, among other highly worrisome effects, an unjustified general attitude of arrogance by privileged members of political societies. Thus, from a normative standpoint, the first move in order to restore mutual trust and a collaborative democratic fabric rests with those who can more likely afford this attitude, that is, members of privileged groups, elites, and individuals who enjoy the status of epistemic authorities (even though contested by some). How to justify this conclusion and how to motivate this sector of society to abide by the democratic ethos will be the object of the last part of our analysis.