Abstract
Sheldon S. Wolin's theory of fugitive democracy has been both lauded and criticized for its radical departure from the mainstays of democratic theory: formal institutions, political offices and constitutional arrangements of power. For Wolin, democracy is correctly understood as an ephemeral event that appears unexpectedly when ordinary citizens, united by a shared grievance, collectively interrupt normal political proceedings and reject constitutionalism. This article critically analyzes Wolin's theory in light of a historical phenomenon in which citizens collectively interrupted politics: frontier vigilantism in the American West from 1850 to 1900. Critical of Wolin's wholesale rejection of constitutionalism, the article reveals the potentially legalistic patterns of extra-legal collective action, and it argues for de-fetishizing democratic practice that occurs outside of institutional channels.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 264-284 |
| Number of pages | 21 |
| Journal | Contemporary Political Theory |
| Volume | 11 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Aug 2012 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Constitutionalism
- Democracy
- Exception
- Pluralism
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Sociology and Political Science
- Political Science and International Relations