The contradictions of democracy globalization

The author deals with the problem of European (global) democratization and not with its goals. The author defines the first group of problems as internal contradictions of modern democratic states. In addition to the existing historical-political criticisms of democratic rule, the author refers to c...

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Main Author: Avramović Zoran
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Serbian Sociological Association, Belgrade 2006-01-01
Series:Sociološki Pregled
Subjects:
Online Access:http://scindeks-clanci.ceon.rs/data/pdf/0085-6320/2006/0085-63200601115A.pdf
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author Avramović Zoran
author_facet Avramović Zoran
author_sort Avramović Zoran
collection DOAJ
description The author deals with the problem of European (global) democratization and not with its goals. The author defines the first group of problems as internal contradictions of modern democratic states. In addition to the existing historical-political criticisms of democratic rule, the author refers to critical analysis of democracy in John Keane’s works. According to Keane, modern democratic state gets involved in several ways in the field of free circulation of public opinion. Based on this and other analyses (Bobio, Dahl), the author concludes that in contemporary European democratic societies there also exist profound contradictions that are transferred to globalization of democracy, too. The author identifies the second problem concerning European democratization in its anthropological assumptions. With reference to Tocqueville’s book Democracy in America, the author states that American democracy man develops personality characteristics oriented to the acquisition of material goods (enrichment). The expansion of Euro-American picture of man to other democracies creates the tension between universal institutions and national cultural anthropology. The third problem concerning democracy is defined from the viewpoint of political relativism. The history of the world is the history of cultural differences. The short-term experience in European democratization proves that political relativism is not respected and that tendency to imposing Euro-American model is gaining in strength. This process endangers political identity of a nation, which becomes the source of confrontation and conflicts inside and between the states. In summary, the author suggests the solution of the problem in the spirit of political liberalism. States (or groups of states) do not have the right to prescribe for other states how to define their public good, except in case they endanger other states (or in case they conduct massive killing of their own citizens).
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spelling doaj.art-6bf3857815944d6099365fc18871e12d2022-12-21T23:35:26ZengSerbian Sociological Association, BelgradeSociološki Pregled0085-63202560-48802006-01-0140111512510.5937/socpreg0601115A0085-63200601115AThe contradictions of democracy globalizationAvramović Zoran0Education Research Institute, Belgrade, SerbiaThe author deals with the problem of European (global) democratization and not with its goals. The author defines the first group of problems as internal contradictions of modern democratic states. In addition to the existing historical-political criticisms of democratic rule, the author refers to critical analysis of democracy in John Keane’s works. According to Keane, modern democratic state gets involved in several ways in the field of free circulation of public opinion. Based on this and other analyses (Bobio, Dahl), the author concludes that in contemporary European democratic societies there also exist profound contradictions that are transferred to globalization of democracy, too. The author identifies the second problem concerning European democratization in its anthropological assumptions. With reference to Tocqueville’s book Democracy in America, the author states that American democracy man develops personality characteristics oriented to the acquisition of material goods (enrichment). The expansion of Euro-American picture of man to other democracies creates the tension between universal institutions and national cultural anthropology. The third problem concerning democracy is defined from the viewpoint of political relativism. The history of the world is the history of cultural differences. The short-term experience in European democratization proves that political relativism is not respected and that tendency to imposing Euro-American model is gaining in strength. This process endangers political identity of a nation, which becomes the source of confrontation and conflicts inside and between the states. In summary, the author suggests the solution of the problem in the spirit of political liberalism. States (or groups of states) do not have the right to prescribe for other states how to define their public good, except in case they endanger other states (or in case they conduct massive killing of their own citizens).http://scindeks-clanci.ceon.rs/data/pdf/0085-6320/2006/0085-63200601115A.pdfglobalizationdemocracynational identitypolitical relativism
spellingShingle Avramović Zoran
The contradictions of democracy globalization
Sociološki Pregled
globalization
democracy
national identity
political relativism
title The contradictions of democracy globalization
title_full The contradictions of democracy globalization
title_fullStr The contradictions of democracy globalization
title_full_unstemmed The contradictions of democracy globalization
title_short The contradictions of democracy globalization
title_sort contradictions of democracy globalization
topic globalization
democracy
national identity
political relativism
url http://scindeks-clanci.ceon.rs/data/pdf/0085-6320/2006/0085-63200601115A.pdf
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