Dados is one of the most widely-read social sciences journals in Latin America. Created in 1966, it publishes innovative works, originating from academic research, by Brazilian and foreign authors. Edited by IESP-UERJ, it aims to reconcile scientific rigor and academic excellence with an emphasis on public debate based on the analysis of substantive issues of society and politics.
Dados vol. 54 n. 4 Rio de Janeiro 2011
Abstract
This article aims to demonstrate the existence of demophobic principles in the theory of modern democracy. Liberal theoretical propositions decreed the subsumption of the demos in the government of all, reduction of the presence of the masses in politics, the exteriority of their modes of organization, and rationalization of administration of 'the many'. The study focuses on liberal thinkers from the late 18th to the early 20th centuries, but is not limited to them. The result is the enunciation of a political oxymoron (demophobic democracy), which also appears as an epistemological obstacle to democratic experimentation.
Keywords: democratic theory, demophobia, demophilia, liberals, the masses
DOI: 10.1590/S0011-52582011000400004
Demophobia in modern democracy
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