An Ethnographic Theory of Democracy. Politics from the Viewpoint of Ilhéus's Black Movement (Bahia, Brazil)

Abstract

The central aim of this paper is to outline an 'ethnographic theory of democracy,' and so contribute to a deeper understanding of the concrete mechanisms through which so-called representative democracy effectively functions. After some general observations, the article therefore focuses on exploring a series of events surrounding the participation of a segment of the black movement of Ilhéus (Bahia, northeast Brazil) in the municipal elections of 1992 and 1996. From this ethnographic base, the paper then seeks to develop an overview of the participation of electors in the self-named democratic processes of modern nation-states, exploring phenomena such as electoral promises and vote buying, as well as concepts such as reciprocity and subjectivity.