Political Practice: A Hermeneutic-Phenomenological Inquiry

The present project focuses on some of the similarities between social cognition, transcendental phenomenology, literary theory, and epistemological hermeneutics. I argue that developments in hermeneutic theory call into question the view that interpretation is a cognitive process residing within the minds of individuals. Drawing on Heidegger’s project for a fundamental ontology, I suggest that hermeneutic phenomenology provides a radical critique of social cognition’s view of the nature of social reality. I also introduce the concept of practice as an alternative to psychology’s focus on subjectivity.

These theoretical explorations provide a foundation for investigating the practices that embody an interpretation of political reality. Using open-ended qualitative interviews, I ask participants to describe in as much detail as possible, salient political situations. I categorize these situations into three broad areas: (1) media (2) conventional political activities and (3) political socialization. Within each of these categories, I discuss variations in the way people understand political life.

Finally, I explore the implications of these practices for our understanding of democracy. I discuss how the movement from epistemology to ontology calls into question the role of subjectivity in contemporary democratic societies.