Theory and practice of democracy. Tocqueville's empirical concept of a 'New Science of Politics'

本研究的目的是为了发展托克维勒对民主的动态理解，这一动态理解影响了时至今日的民主辩论。他的民主经验科学的重点是新的政治和社会形态。它结合了实际观察和理论概念化。该项目的基础是对三个主要话语领域的分析，托克维尔在其中发展了他的民主概念和政治知识，将其作为理论与实践之间的纽带。首先是政治-议会辩论，托克维尔作为代表、专家和政府代表出席了辩论。然后是关于美国社会和文化的新闻辩论。在托克维尔的这一观点中，美国及其民主的动态发展占据了独一无二的地位。最后是法国、英国和美国的民主学术话语，托克维尔的民主理论就是在这些话语中发展起来的。在该项目期间，出现了新的重要辩论，包括关于科学与社会学院的实质性定位的争论，关于地方自治的政治和议会辩论，以及从历史和哲学的角度对法国大革命的政治解释。介绍这一与理解托克维尔工作有关的核心辩论，总是将理论论点与实际的政治改革建议结合在一起，对该项目具有特别重要的意义。这使得这一提议变得必要。这些辩论的呈现提供了以前对托克维尔研究工作和机构联系的洞察，并打开了对他的社交网络的深远洞察。

The aim of the research project is the development of Tocquevilles dynamic understanding of democracy, which influences the democracy debate to this day. The focus of his empirical sciences of democracy is on new political and social forms. It combines both practical observations and theoretical conceptualizations. Fundamental to the project is the analysis of three major fields of discourse, in which Tocqueville has developed his conception of democracy and political knowledge as a link between theory and practice. These include, first, the political-parliamentary debates, in which Tocqueville attended as a delegate, expert and government representative. Then there is the journalistic debate about society and culture in America. In this Tocquevilles view of America and its dynamic development of democracy occupies a singular position. Finally, the academic discourse of democracy in France, England and America, in which Tocquevilles theory has developed. During the project, new important debates have shown, including the dispute over the substantive orientation of the Académie des sciences et sociales, the political and parliamentary debates on local self-government and the political interpretation of the French Revolution under a historical and philosophical perspective. The presentation of this core debates that are relevant to an understanding of Tocquevilles work, which always combines theoretical arguments with practical political reform proposals, has particular importance to the project. That makes this proposal necessary. The representation of these debates offer previously insights in Tocquevilles research work and institutional connections and open far-reaching insights into his social networks.