Recent work on the idea of political representation has challenged effectively
orthodox accounts of constituency and interests. However, discussions of
representation need to focus more on its dynamics prior to further work on its
forms. To that end, the idea of the representative claim is advanced and defended.
Focusing on the representative claim helps us to: link aesthetic and cultural
representation with political representation; grasp the importance of performance
to representation; take non-electoral representation seriously; and to underline the
contingency and contestability of all forms of representation. The article draws
upon a range of sources and ideas to sketch a new, broader and more complex
picture of the representative claim which — despite the complexity — helps us to
reconnect representation theory to pressing real-world challenges.
Contemporary Political Theory (2006) 5, 297–318. doi:10.1057/palgrave.cpt.9300234
Keywords: political representation; performance; constituency; symbolic representation;
elections; representative democracy
