IS CYBERSPACE THE NEW DEMOCRACY’S PANACE?

Authors

Abstract

It is common to find in papers about democracy, especially in Political Science and Sociology, internet as a possible weapon to overcome the dilemmas of representative democracy. The purpose of this article is to go towards opposite direction, that is, in a contemporary context marked by the defense of a digital democracy, we will reinforce the idea that democracy is made primarily in the materiality of political spaces, especially on a local scale. It will be demonstrated, from the case study of Juazeiro do Norte (CE), how democracy is built in geographic spaces that physically exist in the world without which the democratic system would be strongly affected. The article uses information compiled on the coverage of the mobile network and electoral participation and, later, primary and secondary data about Associations in Juazeiro. Based on Dalton's (2017) discussion of what he calls “sizeable socio-economic status participation gap” and contemporary discussions of Political Geography on political space, the article reveals the illusion of digital democracy in an extremely unequal territory and suggests that the existing gap in political participation among citizens in Brazil will not decrease by prioritizing cyberspace, but rather, political spaces should be strengthened and revalued at different scales, respecting the socio-spatial differences existing in Brazilian territory.

Keywords: Political Space, Democracy, Cyberspace, Inequality In Participation, Juazeiro do Norte.

Author Biographies

  • Daniel Abreu de Azevedo, Universidade de Brasília, Brasília, Brasil

    Doutor em Geografia Humana pela Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro. Realizou estágio em doutoramento em Washington D.C. (American University - Centro de Estudos sobre América Latina) e na Cidade do México (UNAM - Departamento de Geografia). Concluiu pós-doutorado na Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México e é atualmente Professor Adjunto do Departamento de Geografia da Universidade de Brasília. Trabalha atualmente na relação espaço político e democracia, com interesse especial na América Latina.

  • David Melo van den Brule, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Recife (PE), Brasil

    Doutor em Geografia  pela Universidade Federal de Pernambuco (2020). Trabalhou no período de 2011 a 2012 como coordenador de Planejamento Urbano, na Secretaria de Planejamento e Desenvolvimento Econômico (Seplad) da Prefeitura Municipal de Juazeiro do Norte-CE. Adquiriu experiência também como professor temporário da Universidade Regional do Cariri (URCA), na cidade de Crato-CE (2009-2011) e da Universidade Estadual do Piauí (UESPI), na cidade de São Raimundo Nonato-PI (2013-2015). Esteve, no período de agosto de 2020 a fevereiro de 2021, como pesquisador do Instituto de pesquisa Econômica Aplicada (IPEA). Atua na área de Geografia, com ênfase em Geografia Humana, principalmente nos seguintes temas: Epistemologia da Geografia, Geografia Urbana, Planejamento e Desenvolvimento Urbano, políticas públicas urbanas, pesquisa social e ensino de Geografia.

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Published

2021-03-19

Issue

Vol. 20 (2021)

Section

Artigos

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