Politics of Becoming

When we participate in political debate or protests, we are judged by how we look, which clothes we wear, by our skin colour, gender and body language. This results in exclusions and limits our freedom of expression. The Politics of Becoming explores radical democratic acts of disidentification to counter this problem. Anonymity in masked protest, graffiti, and online debate interrupts our everyday identities. This allows us to live our multiple selves. Inthe digital age, anonymity becomes an inherent part of everyday communication. Through our smart devices we express our selves differently. As cyborgs our identities are disrupted and reassembled. We curate self-representations on social media, create avatars, share selfies and choose the skin colour of ouremojis.The Politics of Becoming encourages us to engage in a revolution of the self. Democratic pluralism is not only a matter of institutional design but also about how we express our identities. Inner revolutions change our personal realities and plant a seed for democratic futures.Praise for The Politics of Becoming:"The Politics of Becoming presents a striking and creative reworking of key aspects of democratic theory and practice, inviting the reader to rethink what presence, democratic spaces, equality, pluralism, and freedom now can and should mean. This revelation of ways to be democratic is essential reading for anyone interested in the contemporary prospects for democracy." John Dryzek"Social movement studies have often noted that, while normative standards aim at inclusivity, participatory spaces often discriminate marginalised subjects. This important volume reflects on how a politics of becoming can contribute to improve democratic qualities." Donatella della Porta"This uniquely relevant book draws a map to our civic future, and invites us to digitally transport ourselves there." Zizi Papacharissi

The Politics of Becoming presents a striking and creative reworking of key aspects of democratic theory and practice, inviting the reader to rethink what presence, democratic spaces, equality, pluralism, and freedom now can and should mean. This revelation of ways to be democratic is essential reading for anyone interested in the contemporary prospects for democracy., Social movement studies have often noted that, while normative standards aim at inclusivity, participatory spaces often discriminate marginalised subjects. This important volume reflects on how a politics of becoming can contribute to improve democratic qualities., How does one write about the future and past of citizenship, without neglecting the praxis of the present? Asenbaum provides a much needed synthesis of science and practice, important for scholars and the general public. This uniquely relevant book draws a map to our civic future, and invites us to digitally transport ourselves there., Hans Asenbaum is a leading voice in a new generation of democratic theorists. The Politics of Becoming embodies his impressive capacity to weave together diverse political and sociological insights into a compelling narrative. His work on the democratic character of anonymity is ground-breaking., In this innovative and provocative new book, Asenbaum challenges sharply our thinking about identity and democratic politics. Drawing on a wide range of cases and debates, not least the assembling of identities in cyberspace, he highlights new and emerging domains of democratic thinking and practice with real insight and clarity. The discussion of anonymity and democratic possibility is especially compelling.

Hans Asenbaum is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Centre for Deliberative Democracy and Global Governance at the University of Canberra. After receiving his PhD in 2019 at the Centre for the Study of Democracy at the University of Westminster, he held a position as a Research Fellow at the Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies in Potsdam, Germany. His work focuses on radical democracy, democratic innovations, inclusion, marginalization and socialidentities. Hans is a co-convenor of the PSA Participatory and Deliberative Democracy Specialist Group and an associate editor of Democratic Theory.