Democracy Needs Encounters - A Book Review
Many of us crave for calm during the year’s darker months. Yet, this book is not for those who prefer living in solitude in a cabin, isolated deep in the mountains. It is for the vast majority of us—people who thrive in connection with others, who value encounters, and who need opportunities to meet others in order to flourish. Rainald Manthe’s Demokratie fehlt Begegnung explores the systemic barriers that prevent these essential connections and argues that fostering opportunities for encounters is not merely an individual task but a collective, systemic challenge.
The Challenge: Systemic Barriers to Connection
Manthe identifies a troubling trend: the decline of "third spaces," a concept he describes as essential to democratic infrastructure. These are the places where people naturally meet, exchange ideas, and form connections. Traditional third spaces—libraries, cafes, museums, public swimming pools, and even local bars—are closing or transforming. In Germany, one third of pubs had closed in the decade preceeding the Covid pandemic. Meanwhile, institutions like churches and political parties, once pivotal spaces for collective opinion-forming and debate, are seeing a decline in participation.
This erosion of communal spaces has profound implications for democracy. Manthe contributes a key thought to the debate on the eroding trust of citizens in the political system: For democracy to thrive, citizens don’t just have to have trust in their institutions, but also need to have trust in one another. Without spaces to encounter shared experiences, diverse perspectives and differing opinions, that trust diminishes. Instead of engaging in public life through organizations like football clubs or political parties, people increasingly turn to isolated activities, like solo workouts at the gym, and live in gentrified neighborhoods, further fracturing social cohesion.
Why Physical Encounters Matter
Manthe argues that while digital encounters can play a role in fostering connection, they are inherently weaker than physical ones. Meeting face-to-face creates a unique awareness of the other person, enabling us to better acknowledge their feelings and sense their emotions. These emotional connections are crucial for building trust, empathy, and mutual understanding. While digital spaces may offer convenience and reach, they cannot replace the depth of human interaction found in physical encounters even if they are brief and random.
Redefining Democratic Infrastructure
Manthe’s book pushes for a reevaluation of democratic infrastructure, something which we at Demsoc find fascinating as we are exploring how to adapt the concept to the realities of the 21st century with a focus on democratic infrastructure for public participation. We also worked on a framework for designing spaces for encounter.
Manthe challenges us to think beyond parliaments, media, parties and elections and consider the day-to-day encounters where citizens can connect easily with one another and their contribution to a resilient democracy.
Importantly, Manthe emphasizes that creating opportunities for encounter doesn’t need to involve building new physical spaces. Rather, he frames the encounters that happen daily at supermarkets, in dating apps, cultural centers, parks, or public transport as such – a democratic act. The challenge is about designing systems that encourage, deepen and sustain those interactions—systems that bring diverse groups together and foster mutual understanding.
The Broader Goal: Building Trust in ever more diverse and individualized societies
The ultimate objective of this reimagined infrastructure is to build trust in one’s democratic system—not only in state institutions, which are often perceived as bureaucratic and disconnected, but also in our neighbors and society at large. Manthe suggests that trust grows when people engage with one another, when they see their fellow citizens not as abstractions but as individuals with shared concerns and aspirations.
Reflections and Recommendations
For those of us working to strengthen democracy, Demokratie fehlt Begegnung offers valuable insights and a timely call to action.
I can particularly relate to Manthe’s pragmatic lens, zooming in on the role of encounters at the supermarket and their potential impact on vitalizing democracy. The book is a reminder that the investment in and conscious design of public and private spaces contributes to fostering connections and developing trust that are foundational to the health of our democracies. The daily encounters - as easily dismissable as they may seem - are a much needed potential pathway towards deeper political participation.
While Manthe's analysis is compelling, the book’s strength lies in its ability to provoke deeper questions about the future of democratic infrastructure. What kinds of spaces do we need to foster trust? How can we ensure that these spaces are accessible, inclusive and effective? The existence of open, safe and easily accessible spaces for communities is not the only condition for success. In addition, we need to multiply initiatives and test new approaches that create welcoming environments for deeper political participation. This includes offering more people opportunities to learn much needed democratic competences, such as active listening or facilitation. Manthe provides some strong recommendations that readers might wish to use to build their own roadmap.
About the Book Author
Rainald Manthe is a sociologist and author and lives in Berlin. Since 2024, he has been a board member of the Stiftung Bildung (Education Foundation). He previously led the "Liberal Democracy" program at the Berlin-based think tank Zentrum Liberale Moderne. Manthe regularly writes on democracy for publications such as Zeit Online and Focus. Other works include „Warum treffen sich soziale Bewegungen?“ (Why Do Social Movements Meet?, 2020) and „Liberalismus neu denken“ (Rethinking Liberalism, 2022, co-edited).
His book „Demokratie fehlt Begegnung. Über Alltagsorte des sozialen Zusammenhalts“ (Democracy Needs Encounters: Everyday Spaces of Social Cohesion, 2024) has been published at the Transcript Verlag. Currently only available in German.