Public Identities and Democratic Models: A Perspective on the Construction of Political Modernity in South-Eastern European [XIX century] Cover Image

Identités publiques et modèles démocratiques. Regard sur la constitution des modernités politiques au sud-est européen (XIXe siècle)
Public Identities and Democratic Models: A Perspective on the Construction of Political Modernity in South-Eastern European [XIX century]

Author(s): Raluca Alexandrescu
Subject(s): Civil Society, Government/Political systems, 19th Century, Politics and Identity, Peace and Conflict Studies
Published by: Editura Universităţii din Bucureşti
Keywords: democracy (theory of); individuals; civil society; toleration; modernity; conflict;

Summary/Abstract: Modern European identity is built around two types of cleavages revealed in the beginning of the XIX century: fraternity and conflict. The meanings and the different readings of these two themes of the democratic modernity provide by themselves an accurate image of the period in question. For Central and South-eastern Europe, these two indicators burst into the political scenery and in the political thought at the same period, under the significant impact of the French Revolution. This article is tracking the main paradigm changes produced in the political thought in this part of Europe, especially in the Romanian Principalities, interpreted trough the lenses of civic aggregation and the creation of civil society. Individuals are more and more defined as holding a double existence, as public markers and private entities; this fresh perspective accompanies the expression of either tolerance (accompanied by an auto-critical perspective) or antagonism (of class, race, religion, civilization in a more general matter of speaking) and they are at the ground foundation of modern political system.

  • Issue Year: 16/2016
  • Issue No: 4
  • Page Range: 483-492
  • Page Count: 10
  • Language: French