Deep Democracy · Reclaiming Tools for Social Transformation · BG Text Series 2026 · Call for Papers · BG · berlinergazette.de · EN|DE

The renewal and realization of democracy, or indeed its democratization, has many names: true democracy, direct democracy, radical democracy, council democracy, economic democracy, and many more. In 2026, we would like to organize the BG’s annual text series under the title “Deep Democracy,” building on our previous annual text series, such as “Pluriverse of Peace” (2025), “Kin City” (2024), “Allied Grounds” (2023), and “After Extractivism” (2022), which focused on critical inquiries of the planetary polycrisis. We outline the concept below. Information on how to submit contributions can be found at the bottom.

The End of Mediation: Radical Democracy and the Reinvention of Strategies for Planetary Liberation · BG · berlinergazette.de · EN|DE

Democratic institutions in the West are increasingly resorting to repression to address social issues. This is particularly evident in protests for climate justice and against the war in Gaza, revealing that these institutions are unwilling or unable to develop solutions to the pressing problems facing our world. Looking back at the 1970s clarifies this challenge. However, as Michael Hardt argues in his contribution to the “Pluriverse of Peace” series, inspiration for implementing alternatives can be found in recent movements that have demanded and practiced radical democracy.

Radikale Demokratiebildung

Der Band befasst sich der Konzeption radikaler Demokratiebildung, mit der den Herausforderungen der Gegenwart begegnet werden könnte.

For a Left Populism

The defeatist Illusion of realism in the era of the #deathcult – #OMN (Open Media Network)

On ‘the Politics of Repair Beyond Repair’: Radical Democracy and the Right to Repair Movement - Journal of Business Ethics

This paper analyses the right to repair (R2R) movement through the lens of radical democracy, elucidating the opportunities and limitations for advancing a democratic repair ethics against a backdrop of power imbalances and vested interests. We commence our analysis by exploring broader political-economic trends, demonstrating that Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) are increasingly shifting towards asset-based repair strategies. In this landscape, hegemony is preserved not solely through deterrence tactics like planned obsolescence but also by conceding repairability while monopolizing repair and maintenance services. We further argue that the R2R serves as an ‘empty signifier’, whose content is shaped by four counter-hegemonic frames used by the R2R movement: consumer advocacy, environmental sustainability, communitarian values, and creative tinkering. These frames, when viewed through Laclau and Mouffe’s theory of radical democracy, reveal different potentials for sustaining dissent and confronting OEMs' hegemony in the field of repair. Analysed in this way, an emerging business ethics of repair can be understood as driven by the politics of repair beyond repair. This notion foregrounds the centrality of non-violent conflict and antagonism for bringing radical democratic principles to repair debates, looking beyond narrow instrumentalist conversations, where repairability is treated as an apolitical arena solely defined by concerns for eco-efficiency and resource productivity.

Radically Reimagine How to Deepen Democracy | The Tyee

Explore what it means to strengthen the democratic system in your community through this special summer program at SFU.