Apolitical democracy in contemporary scenarios according to Jacques Rancière

Abstract

Rancière demonstrates that, from the beginning, politics and democracy are intrinsically related to the concept of dissent. Therefore, it is necessary to rethink the way in which this dissent is applied within the community. Contemporary democracies often promote consensus and the elimination of dissent, claiming to defend all parts of society, while simultaneously excluding those who lack power from expressing themselves and demanding participation in the public sphere. Rancière observes that these democracies are contradictory and false, as they seek to negate participatory practice while claiming to abolish dissent and litigation in the social environment. These false democracies are founded on an oligarchic structure in which only a few possess real political power.