Democracy as a utopia and democracy as a tool of domination: the structural roles of race, class, and coloniality in Western democratic regimes

Abstract

In today's world, democracy is recognized as both a theoretical idea and a form of government that holds a unique position, largely unaffected by intense academic or worldly controversies. Presently, no scholar can dismiss or oppose democracy and expect to be taken seriously. However, in the Polis of Athens, the birthplace of democracy, the prominent philosophers were critical and often disparaging of this system of governance. This article seeks to demystify prevailing discourses surrounding Western democracy by illustrating how they frequently depend on hierarchizing citizens, peoples, and countries, as well as compartmentalizing human experiences. Moreover, it endeavors to demonstrate that the discourses of democracy and liberalism have often been used by Western powers to interfere in the global south and exploit its peoples. The article also offers a non-evaluative approach to studying democracy, taking into consideration non-Western experiences to preserve the concept’s utopian appeal.