Between procedure and substance: political participation and the meanings of democracy

Abstract Among the literature on political culture and participatory experiences, participation has commonly been related to democratic values and the deepening of democracy. However, there is still an explanatory gap regarding how activists from different sectors of civil society think about and conceive democracy. Anchored in the question, “How do people with different trajectories of activism understand democracy?”, this article aims to provide a theoretical and empirical explanation of how citizens with different participatory experiences understand democracy and, alternatively, how they conceive non-democratic regimes. Based on analysis of the conversations produced by focus groups held in Belo Horizonte, Porto Alegre, and Montes Claros, from March to September 2019, the article will demonstrate how understandings about democracy vary depending on the profile and the links of the participants.