Presentation

In this presentation, the volume’s editor retraces the reasons and stages that led the authors to share the decision to publish this work. The main need underlying this book is to try to give an account of the reasons why a study of democracy from a sociological point of view can be as useful as it has been so far from other perspectives, such as history, political science, law and philosophy. One of the main concepts underlying the authors’ essays is to expose how a democracy rests, for its existence and permanence, on social and not only legal-political foundations. The author then briefly sets out the contents of each chapter and explains how they are closely related to each other. Among the most relevant themes that emerge, the presentation points to those of democratic identity and the democratic imaginary as central to the explanation of the current critical and problematic nature of contemporary Western democracies. Another central theme is the debate on democratic forms and possible means of restoring trust in democracy and adherence to its principles.