Conclusion

The Conclusion contrasts the dominant structuralist and functionalist approaches to democracy and democratization, with the concept of the passage to democracy as an endogenous process of historical and symbolic articulation, and as the symbolization of lived experiences that engender transformations in consciousness, meanings, and beliefs. Rather than assuming a universal and externally determined model for the democratic process, it makes use of the Italian case to argue that democracy is a lengthy and ongoing narrative, and a process of meaning-formation in the context of political and existential uncertainty. Democratizing processes are determined not by socio-economic and cultural factors, not by the pursuit of strategies by the elites, but by a complex interweaving of individual and collective reaction to revolution, war, and dictatorship.

Articulation (sociology) · Consciousness · Context (archaeology) · Democracy · Democratization · Dictatorship · Epistemology · Existentialism · Linguistics · Meaning (existential) · Narrative · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Sociology · History · Italian Fascism and Post-war Society · Law · Philosophy