Democracy, activism and radical modernity in Latin America

Abstract

The paper analyzes three challenges posed by radicalized modernity to political democracy: participatory disposition, identity pressures and individualization. Driven by changes brought about by the dynamics of this modernization, societies are more fragmented and its parts (groups , individuals , regions ) are following their own logic -even though, paradoxically, everything is more connected. New subjects and new forms of activism generate more conflicts but cannot redirect the political game in emancipatory terms. The hyperactivity of civil society is more due to the need for self-expression than the willingness to organize consensus. The "action zone policy" that thus emerges is less institutional and more individualized, more buoyant and less structured .