Democracy and the Separation of Powers: A Rancièrean Approach

Abstract

This article presents an interpretation of the principle of separation of powers in light of Jacques Rancière's conception of liberal democracy. It seems that, hitherto, this principle has been considered either the opposite of democracy (in Marxism) or the essence of democracy (in liberalism). In opposition to these two approaches, the article argues that the principle of separation of powers should be considered an effect of, and at the same time a tool for, struggles for equality. This is done by means of, first, an investigation into the historical transformations of this principle, secondly, an examination of the aporias inherent in Jean-Jacques Rousseau's formulation of the principle of subordination of the executive to the legislative power, and, finally, a comparison between different modern interpretations of this subordination (Anton Pannekoek, Giorgio Agamben, Carl Schmitt).