Discursive Constructions of the Demos as an Expression of Democratic Change

The paper focuses on discursive constructions of the demos including the representative claims they convey. It views them as an integral part of a discursive struggle over the meaning of democracy in historical and contemporary contexts. It argues 1) that in phases of rupture and perceived crisis (un)democratic change becomes particularly visible in these discursive constructions, 2) that this change manifests in intersectional patterns imprinted in demos constructions and the representative claims they include and 3) that in a longitudinal perspective the process of (un)democratic change is a multilayered rather than a linear process. Overall, the research perspective suggests that this analytical focus can cast light on the ‘grey zone’ or ‘twilight zone’ of democratic change that precedes institutional changes. The analysis is based on empirical analyses of media discourse and parliamentary debate in postwar Austria. It is located at the interface between democratic theory and empirical democracy research, employing i.e. Critical Discourse Analysis, politolinguistic and conceptual history.