Analyzing Representative Claims in Central and Eastern European Politics: Left and Right and Beyond

Abstract

The study of representation has been enjoying significant revival and transformation, in recent years, leading some authors to coin the term ‘representative turn’ in democratic theory. While the traditional representation literature focused on procedural aspects of representation, the ‘representative turn’ authors go beyond the formalistic notion of representation and concentrate on the constitutive features of representation. The similarities between claims, applied by (increasingly populist) elected representatives across the CEE region, hint to the growing irrelevance of the left-right continuum, and the need to introduce alternative approaches to the analysis of CEE politics. This panel focuses on the newly emerging claims of representation and their justifications, in particular on issues mobilizing new actors across the CEE region: anti-globalization, women’s and feminist issues, LGBTQ rights and the refugee crisis. Theoretically, this panel seeks to assess the extent to which the left-right and TAN-GAL distinctions are relevant for the analysis of party politics and the public discourse in the CEE politics. We welcome contributions focusing on politics beyond the ballot box and locate the study of representation in a broader context of participative and deliberative democracy. Papers ought to speak to broad current political trends and be able to touch upon big, contemporary issues directly related to representation, such as the role of inequality in political mobility.