Abstract
The Five Star Movement, or M5S, is a popular anti-establishment,
populist political party in Italy. One of its key features is the
Rousseau platform, an online space designed to enable direct
democracy. Named after the eighteenth century thinker Jean-
Jacques Rousseau, it banks on the idea that the traditional state is
corrupt, while the people’s will can be more directly polled and
executed as a governing force. However, Rousseau has also been
critiqued for defending despotism and characterised as the
enemy of liberty. This paper takes a closer look at Rousseau’s
‘Emile’ and ‘The Social Contract’, and points out how a critical
reading could raise questions about the platform’s true meaning.
The analysis focuses specifically on the illusion of autonomous
choice and covert authoritarianism. The platform becomes a
powerful tool of both preventive as well as repressive social
control. As an anti-modern public sphere, it holds inherent threats
to democracy itself.
populist political party in Italy. One of its key features is the
Rousseau platform, an online space designed to enable direct
democracy. Named after the eighteenth century thinker Jean-
Jacques Rousseau, it banks on the idea that the traditional state is
corrupt, while the people’s will can be more directly polled and
executed as a governing force. However, Rousseau has also been
critiqued for defending despotism and characterised as the
enemy of liberty. This paper takes a closer look at Rousseau’s
‘Emile’ and ‘The Social Contract’, and points out how a critical
reading could raise questions about the platform’s true meaning.
The analysis focuses specifically on the illusion of autonomous
choice and covert authoritarianism. The platform becomes a
powerful tool of both preventive as well as repressive social
control. As an anti-modern public sphere, it holds inherent threats
to democracy itself.
Original language | English |
---|---|
Number of pages | 15 |
Journal | European Politics and Society |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 27 Dec 2019 |