Karl Mannheim on democratic interaction

Revisiting mass society theory

Dados Bibliográficos

ID6190865
AutoresRyusaku Yamada (Soka University, autor correspondente)
Ano2016
Volume26
Fascículo2
Páginas93-103
Data de publicação2016-04-01
Peer ReviewedSim
Open AccessSim
TipoARTICLE
PeriódicoHuman Affairs (JOURNAL)
Identificadores do periódicoISSN: 1210-3055 • E-ISSN: 1337-401X
EditoraWalter de Gruyter GmbH (PUBLISHER • DE)
DOI10.1515/humaff-2016-0011
OpenAlexW2314115030
IdiomaEN
Citações recebidas1
Referências citadas16

This essay re-considers Karl Mannheim’s notion of democratic behaviour in the context of mass society. Although the term ‘mass society’ seems archaic, it is still the precondition of democracy today. Mannheim conceptualized mass society as irrational, disintegrating Great Society and presented the remedy of Planning for Freedom to counter the crisis of mass democracy. In his remedy Mannheim advocated social education that fosters citizens’ democratic interaction, and the keywords of his education were ‘integrative behaviour’ and ‘creative tolerance’. The similar orientation of his remedy can be found in much more contemporary critiques of deliberative democracy. Iris Marion Young’s ‘communicative democracy’ was a version of her democratic interaction in a complex, large-scale mass society. Young’s notion of ‘reasonableness’ has substantial affinity with Mannheim’s integrative behaviour, both of which require the democratic attitude of hearing the other side and the readiness to self-transform. Mass society theory has relevance for contemporary democratic theory

Democracy · Mass society · Political science · Politics · Social science · Sociology · Critical Theory and Philosophy · German Social Sciences and History · History · Law · Weber, Simmel, Sociological Theory