(Re-)Fugitive Democracy: Democracy from the Critical Point of Migration and Mobility
(Re-)Fugitive Democracy: Democracy from the Critical Point of Migration and Mobility

Summary/Abstract: The article aims to provide an analytical perspective for rethinking the essential concept of modern political theory, that of democracy, from a critical point of migration and mobility. In search of the perspective mentioned above, I follow the work of a group of authors featured in Minor Keywords of Political Theory: Migration as the critical standpoint, which critically reflects various keywords within the discourse of political theory and politics through the lens of migration. Sheldon Wolin’s concept of fugitive democracy is first introduced, which views democracy not as a stable form but as an unstable, temporary, fleeting moment of collective action. Wolin’s concept of fugitive democracy is expanded on by contributions from postcolonial theory, which have highlighted the influence of settler colonialism, imperialism and slavery on the development of modern democracy. From the perspective of postcolonial theory one historical example of fugitive democracy is analyzed: the Black frontline communities on the Underground Railroad in the Antebellum period in the US. Viewed from the perspective of postcolonial theory, the phenomenon of fugitivity not only has a temporal dimension, signifying temporary manifestations of collective power, but can also have a spatial dimension. Considering the spatial aspects of the phenomenon of fugitive democracy, fugitivity can mean flight, escape, departure, setting, and creating a sanctuary, a community of refuge, and an alternative way of life where it is possible to live freely. Therefore, I added the prefix (re-) to the concept of fugitive democracy to signify its spatial aspect, thus forming the new keyword, (re-)fugitive democracy. In the last section I follow the authors from Minor Keywords in their intention to rehabilitate the phenomenon of the mob and mass politics by seeing it as something immanent to democratic politics. In this process I critically examine their keyword “the mob” from Minor Keywords, adding essential theoretical layers to the authors’ analysis to accomplish their initial intention.

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