A representação política em uma perspectiva comunicacional

Abstract

The article aims to problematize the notion of political representation from a communicational and discursive perspective focus on language, in order to move forward in the discussion of some classic dilemmas: a) if a representative must do what the people they epresent want, b) if the representative acts in the behalf of someone or some interest, on the place of someone or for someone, c) if the political representation is democratic, d) if there is indeed an actual crisis of representation and e) when the representation is legitimate. It is concluded that a communicational approach is capable of contributing to a comprehension that a) the act of representing is systemic, diffuse and multifaceted; b) a communicational approach considers important symbols and imagery to the comprehension of the political representation and c) the legitimacy is discursively constituted between representatives and the people they represent and it should take into account the protagonism of the affected.