Representational Forms: Continuity and Change
Author: Der-Yuan Maxwell Wu
Abstract / Chinese PDF Download
This essay mainly deals with the question of the extent to which the mode of representation has changed, as revolving around “old politics” vs “new” debates in contemporary Comparative Politics literature. First, this author analyzes the representation forms highlighted in pluralism, corporatism and Marxism, as subsumed under “old paradigm”. Briefly, the main “object” to be represented is “objectively existent interest”. Through some institutional channels, such as political parties or interest groups, varied interests can be transmitted from society into the state (pluralism), or intermediated via the state (corporatism). And the socialist party-states can reflect the genuine interests of the proletariat that once were distorted in Capitalist societies. (Marxism) Further, the author highlights some key features of new representations (or “new social movements”). In short, they center on “identity” and pursue mostly community-based rights for universal and equal representations in both the state and civil society. Then, the author compares the “old” and “new” forms in terms of similarities and differences. For example, agents in both forms similarly strive to be included in the process of defining the meanings of politics or in the policy process across time and space. As to the differences, while the “old” appreciates the merit of “modernity”, the “new” tends to be more “post-modernist”-oriented in appealing to such causes of “anti-bureaucratization” and “autonomy”. Finally, this author suggests that the “change vs continuity” debate probably could be reconciled, if not resolved, by bringing the two apparently “incompatible” models as endpoints of a newly constructed continuum in which dimensions of each model can be further clarified.