Por una democracia conflictual. Política y ciudadanía en Étienne Balibar

Abstract

The ideas of the French philosopher Étienne Balibar (1942), situated within a specific socio-political context, are related to certain issues. These issues, in which identity is problematically combined with politics, have been at the centre of much of his theoretical development and have raised the question of the emergence and development of "citizenship". In order to provide an answer to this question, Balibar puts forward a theory of "citizenship" in which he argues for a dynamic citizenship, capable of bringing about a reconfiguration of the political order and thus of establishing a new legal status. This theory of citizenship is part of a political philosophy that serves the author as a conceptual framework through which to conceive a "conflictual democracy". "Conflictual democracy" is not so much a political regime as the possibility of its transformation. In this sense, democracy can only exist on the condition that it is constantly contesting and surpassing itself. The "proposition of equaliberty", questions the distribution of power on which the political system is based, thus extending the "right to politics" and contributing to the "democratisation of democracy". If "fundamental rights" are necessary in the ongoing task of renewing the "constitution of democracy", it is because they make it possible to extend the frontiers along which "citizenship" is demarcated. These borders not only delimit the membership of nationals vis-à-vis foreigners, but also establish exclusions, in the form of domination and exploitation, of resident human groups within the political system. The main purpose of this study is to analyse the idea of "citizenship" in Étienne Balibar's theoretical work, in line with a certain political framework that we call "conflictual democracy".

Date of Award	23 Nov 2023
Original language	Spanish
Supervisor	Oriol Farres Juste (Director)