This is a book about the revival of democracy in the so-called age of postdemocracy. It provides a thorough analysis of contemporary transformations in the public sphere and the media. Although its analysis largely supports the thesis of a decline of democracy, the book avoids jumping to the conclusion that democracy is coming to an end. There is overwhelming evidence that democracy is in crisis, with Colin Crouch (2020) referencing the acceleration of this process since the 2008 and subsequent crises. We have a rich account of the drama of democratic decline, but what succeeds democracy? We can diagnose the symptoms of post-democracy, but can we imagine a world without it? I argue that we not only lack the imagination to formulate a theory of a post-democratic world order but that we do not actually need such a theory in the first place. A core topic of public sphere theory is the co-evolution of modern society and democracy, and our sociological explication of the current crisis of democracy can gain much by drawing on this theoretical legacy. We can only make sense of post-democracy by continuing to write the theory of democracy and the public sphere.

My intention in this book is different from those authors who predict postdemocracy as the future scenario of a world political order. Post-democracy is not the hypothetical endpoint of the current transition of our political regimes. At the same time, by arguing that democracy will continue to exist. I do not aim to raise counterfactual claims or engage in a normative debate about how democracy should be rescued. I instead take the challenges contemporary democracies are facing as my starting point to explore what happens after post-democracy. Hence I do not wish to understand how a utopia has become dystopian, but I depart from the discovery of dystopia and ask what remains of utopia. The encounter with dystopia is not some intellectual castle in the air: it is experienced by individuals and collectives, and such experiences are interpreted and trigger specific responses. Societal actors and groups might accelerate democratic decline or resist it and take corrective action.