In recent years, Denmark has seen a rise in the number of public democracy festivals.
Inspired by the original Folkemødet on Bornholm, a variety of local and thematic versions have emerged across the country – the Cultural Meeting on Mors, the Youth People's Meeting in Valby Park, the Agricultural People's Meeting, and citizen-focused initiatives like Folkemødet Møn and The Southern Funen People’s Meeting.

However, the Folkemødet in Allinge stands out by attracting the major political parties, national media, interest groups, and ministries. It offers a stage for the whole of Denmark, with conversation at the heart of its democratic focus – not because it necessarily changes political realities in any substantial way, but because it highlights a core democratic value: dialogue.

At its core, democracy is about ensuring that everyone – regardless of power, status, or background – has the right to participate in discussions about shared concerns.
That ideal is brought to life on the many stages in Allinge each June. As historian of ideas Mikkel Thorup puts it:

"Democratic practice is a practice of conversation. So the more issues we bring to the table, and the more voices we invite into the debate on shared concerns, the better."

The Folkemødet can thus be seen as a ritualised repetition of democracy’s founding idea: that no voice is too small to be heard.

When the event ends and Allinge grows quiet again, the conversation doesn’t stop – it simply changes form. For Mikkel Thorup, this is exactly what characterises democracy: it is never finished. We may not bring solutions home, but we bring something else: a renewed reminder that disagreement, doubt, and debate are vital to keeping democracy alive. And it is in that ongoing conversation – even after the tents are packed away – that democracy continues to live.

A form of government with built-in unrest

According to Mikkel Thorup, democracy is unique in two fundamental ways: it is based on the idea that all people are equal and have the right to participate – and it is the only form of government that invites criticism of itself.

“Democracy is the only system that does two very radical things. First, it says that everyone has the right to participate equally – in other words, we are all fundamentally equal. All other systems assume there is someone above you whom you must obey – God, the king, or the lord. Democracy is the only system that has equality as its core principle.
And the second crucial thing is that it is the only form of government that invites criticism of itself. It is entirely legitimate – in fact, necessary – to debate democracy again and again,” says Mikkel Thorup.

This openness, which some may see as a weakness, is in his view democracy’s greatest strength:

“Democracy generates its own dissatisfaction. It has these fantastic ideals that it can never fully live up to. It makes great promises and invites everyone to share responsibility – and that means there will always be people who feel it’s not working. But that’s not a collapse. It’s part of how democracy functions.”

Rogue democracy – democracy out of control?

It is from this vantage point that Mikkel Thorup introduces the concept of rogue democracy in his dissertation – capturing the way democratic development is currently moving in many directions at once.

“There are developments in democracy that some see as hugely important and exciting, while others find deeply problematic,” he says, and elaborates:
“Populism, for example, is seen by some as a massive injection of democratic energy – many people feel heard and empowered. Others see it as a threat to democracy. That double reading is what I’m trying to capture with the term rogue democracy.”

This doesn’t mean that we are losing democracy – rather, that we no longer agree on what democracy ought to be.

“We are discussing democracy a lot right now. And that’s actually a very good sign. It shows that people are genuinely concerned about what might be lost. And to me, that means we’ve become truly democratic. Nobody wants to give up on democracy. Everyone wants the real thing – a true democracy. They just disagree on what that looks like,” Thorup explains.

A book about democracy’s unrest and resilience

In September, Mikkel Thorup’s new book will be published:
“Unruly Democracy – The World’s Wildest Experiment” (Gads Forlag).
The book builds on his doctoral dissertation but is written for a broader audience. Here, he explores how democracies are constantly being negotiated and transformed – especially through the ways we talk about them.

The book dives into today’s major democratic debates, asking questions like:
– Is democracy in crisis? Is populism a blessing or a threat to democracy? Are conspiracy theories a sign of democratic health or disease? Is neoliberalism dismantling democracy or securing its economic foundations? What do climate change and ecological limits mean for the future of democracy?

But instead of reinforcing a narrative of democratic decline, Mikkel Thorup suggests that it is precisely in the unrest – in the discussions, disagreements, and concerns – that democracy lives.

“There’s never been a point in the history of democracy where someone wasn’t saying that it was in crisis or not working,” he notes.

This enduring sense of crisis isn’t a sign of weakness – on the contrary, he argues, it’s a sign that we still take democracy seriously.
And this is where, even if his books aren’t about it directly, the Folkemøder come back into the picture. According to Thorup, democracy festivals aren’t the solution to democracy’s challenges – but they are signs that, despite frustration and doubt, we still insist on dialogue. That we still gather, debate, and strive to make democracy better.

Contact

Mikkel Thorup, professor
Department of Philosophy and the History of Ideas
School of Culture and Society
Aarhus University
Phone: +45 8716 2253
Email: idemt@cas.au.dk