Motivation, Representation, Authorization: How Activists and Celebrities become Unelected Representatives

Political activists take the stage to present themselves as champions of political causes and groups in front of a large audience. Some of them succeed in generating considerable international media attention for their activities and arguments. They garner large amounts of followers and may be invited by authorities to speak or negotiate on behalf of a constituency they themselves helped to create. In the process, the constructivist turn in political representation perceives these individuals as “unelected representatives”: individuals who make representative claims on behalf of other people and gain a degree of resonance and recognition as a result of it. This is not without costs or risks. It requires dedicated investment of time and resources to lead an activist life and tends to generate severe backlash from opponents. Even in the form of death threats. Why do people chose such an intense, costly and sometimes risky life? Who do they represent and how does that affect their activism? What role do governments, mainstream media and other individuals and institutions in power play in the authorization of such individuals as unelected representatives? This paper identifies the reasons for activism, the perception activists have on their role as representatives and their authorization through public resonance and authority recognition. It does so through inductive analysis of interviews with thirteen political activists with different backgrounds and different causes. Do they have anything in common that may help us understand the processes leading to the creation of unelected representatives?