State, Populism, Market and Civil Society. The Sociology of Democracy of Juan Carlos Portantiero (1980-2000)

Abstract

This article examines Juan Carlos Portantiero’s conceptualizations of democracy, from his shift toward social-democratic positions during his Mexican exile in the 1970s to the end of the last century. Over the course of these twenty years, Portantiero developed reflections on several analytical dimensions that he regarded as fundamental to the social construc-tion of a true democracy. Among these, he highlights civil society as the preeminent site for democratic articulation, that is, as a space for the peaceful resolution of conflicts, but also as a means of transcending populist, communist, or neoliberal stances that elevate the State, class, or market as the primary institutions for constructing democracy. The article considers the author’s social trajectory, his sociological training, and his involvement in the Communist Party, as well as his subsequent departure from it, before focusing on his academic work on democratic issues from 1980 to 2000, with the aim of systematizing his conceptualizations on this topic.