In Search of Politics: Democracy and the Displacement of Politics

Political decision-making used to be mainly a matter for professional politicians who were active within the borders of the nation states. However, these professional politicians are increasingly losing power to international organisations, the media, the European Union or other actors. We are usually presented with a very negative image of the possible consequences of this form of globalisation. The disappearance of the borders of the nation state will lead to less democracy, it is often argued. More than ten years ago, Luc Huyse already stated in his book Beyond Politics that professional politicians are losing influence in all directions. In this collection, some of the most prominent political scientists in Flanders attempt to map out that no-man's-land beyond the Wetstraat. Are forms of non-institutional political participation possible? Can social movements also make a difference at the international level? Can political parties adapt to the process of European integration? Do the media take on their greater social and political responsibility? These are some of the questions that are central to this collection. This book starts from an optimistic vision: globalization does not necessarily mean the end of democracy as we know it. There are conceivable mechanisms to arrive at a system of accountability and democratic participation outside of institutional politics. In this collection, various authors also formulate concrete proposals to make democracy possible, also beyond the boundaries of politics.