Die Macht der Demokratie

The democratic constitutional state is dangerously imbalanced and far less stable than assumed. Is Foucault’s assertion that the state is simply a form of ‘fiction raised to the status of a myth’ true? In such a case, the state would be an easy target for its opponents, with its defenders blockaded in by obstacles they have created. The liberal tradition, characterised by a fundamental mistrust of power, is suffering from the paradox that the state is based on power and, at the same time, should impose limits on itself. The democratic theory approaches inspired by Rousseau, which seek to reconcile domination and self-determination at the expense of an indiscriminate identity, cannot convincingly resolve this tension.
Only when the complexity of power becomes visible can the state be understood as a form of political organisation. The social sciences are focused on the phenomenon of domination, while in jurisprudence and political philosophy the topic usually disappears behind questions about normativity. Political power with its normative implications thus remains in a blind spot. The aim of the studies compiled here is to understand the state as a constellation of power by conducting an interdisciplinary analysis of the democratic constitutional state and its challenges.
With contributions by
Kathrin Groh, Andreas Hetzel, Reinhard Mehring, Thomas Petersen, Karin Priester, Winfried Thaa, Ulrich Thiele and Georg Zenkert.