«In the street: democratic action, theatricality and political friendship» by Çiğdem Çidam cosiders street protests as an expression of direct democracy. The author criticizes the dominant Rousseauian style of thinking in discussing protests and suggests using the Aristotelian concept of political friendship. She conceptualizes democratic action through political friendship, drawing on the work of Antonio Negri, Jürgen Habermas and Jacques Rancière, and invites scholars to focus on the study of political actors intermediating practices through which protests become democratic events.
Keywords
political friendship; democratic action; protest; direct democracy; Aristotle; Rousseau.
