Political messianism and democracy: On possibility of political self-transformation of democracy

Abstract

The article deals with the relation of political messianism to ongoing debate on the crisis of democracy. The conceptual framework of political messianism is the convenient analytical tool because it makes the concept of crisis a starting point for formulating a different politics of redemption. Three conceptions of political messianism are being analyzed: as a revolutionary policies, as critical tool, as well as open possibility of radical changes. It shows in all three cases that deep beliefs play an important role in politics and that it is not possible to immunize political order from them. The second part of the paper points to the significance of these insights for understanding the discourse on the crisis of democracy which important part represents the loss of faith in the ability of democratic institutions to formulate a framework for meaningful political actions of citizens. As a result, there has been a transformation of the concept of democracy which now sees political actions of citizens-amateurs as a nuisance. Such a condition produces tensions which are burdening the functioning of democratic regimes. In conclusion, it is noted that contemporary democracies are not able to restore faith in the fundamentals of its existence as long as they insist on the primacy of the form of democracy, which in the meantime has become the norm, but fails to convince the citizens in their intrinsic values.

Tekst se ba vi od no som po li tič kog me si ja ni zma i ras pra va o kri zi de mokra ti je. Poj mov ni okvir po li tič kog me si ja ni zma je po god no ana li tič ko oru đe jer u nje mu po jam kri ze či ni po la znu tač ku na osno vu ko je se for mu li šu raz li či te po liti ke iz ba vlje nja. Ana li zi ra na su tri shva ta nja po li tič kog me si ja ni zma: kao re vo luci o nar ne po li ti ke, ka ko kri tič kog oru đa i kao otvo re ne mo guć no sti ra di kal ne pro me ne. U sva tri slu ča ja po ka zu je se da du bo ka uve re nja ima ju va žnu ulo gu u po li ti ci i da ni je mo gu će imu ni zo va ti po li tič ki po re dak od njih. U dru gom de lu tek sta uka zu je se na zna čaj ovih uvi da za raz u me va nje dis kur sa o kri zi de mo krati je či ji va žan deo či ni gu bi tak ve re u spo sob nost de mo krat skih usta no va da for mu li šu okvir za smi sa o no po li tič ko de lo va nje gra đa na. Usled to ga, do šlo je do tran sfor ma ci je poj ma de mo kra ti je ko ji sa da po li tič ko de lo va nje gra đa na-ama te ra vi di kao smet nju. Ta kvo sta nje pro zvo di na pe to sti ko ji op te re ću ju funk ci o ni sa nje de mo krat skih re ži ma. U za ključ ku se kon sta tu je da sa vre me ne de mo kra ti je ni su u sta nju da ob no ve ve ru u osno ve svog po sto ja nja sve dok in si sti ra ju na pri ma tu for me de mo kra ti je, ko ja je u me đu vre me nu po sta la nor ma, a ko ja ni je u sta nju da uve ri gra đa ne u svo je in trin sič ne vred no sti.