Between Theory and Practice: Demos' Boundary and Belonging in Liberal Democracies Teori ve Pratik Arasında: Liberal Demokrasilerde Halkın Sınırı ve Aidiyet
Amme Idaresi Dergisi, cilt.58, sa.3, ss.441-468, 2025 (SSCI, Scopus)
- Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
- Cilt numarası: 58 Sayı: 3
- Basım Tarihi: 2025
- Dergi Adı: Amme Idaresi Dergisi
- Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), Scopus, Business Source Elite, Business Source Premier, Central & Eastern European Academic Source (CEEAS)
- Sayfa Sayıları: ss.441-468
- Anahtar Kelimeler: Common Belonging, Demos' Boundary, Liberal Democracy, Liberalism, Nationalism
- Ankara Hacı Bayram Veli Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet
Özet
In liberal-democratic normative political theory, there is a gap as to who constitutes the group of individuals who become members of the same political unit through a common political contract, in other words, what constitutes the boundary of the people and the bond of belonging. The universality of theory and the necessary particularity of practice make this gap visible. This gap in theory has been attempted to be filled by civic nationalism. However, since civic national identity is not sufficiently saturated and voluminous to bridge this gap, in practice, ethno-cultural nationalism, seen as the bad brother, has often been called to the rescue. The use of ethno-cultural elements to create a common bond of belonging has been virtually ignored, not only because it contradicts the theory, but also because it poses a serious potential threat that could lead to the collapse of the system. The dualism of opposition between civic and ethno-cultural nationalism has become a way of bridging the gap in theory on the one hand and covering up the reality in practice on the other. Seeing this fact does not render liberal-democratic theory and liberal democratic regimes worthless and meaningless. Awareness of this situation gives us the opportunity to address the issue more accurately and to reflect on the insurances of the liberal democratic system in the face of authoritarian approaches.