Abstract

This article talks about the debate on the transformation of political parties and on the contemporary «crisis» of democracy, from a theoretical and historical-conceptual per¬spective. Particularly, the essay focuses on the explanations that find the origin of the «crisis» in the breaking of the linkage between «society» and «parties». Many studies assume that parties are «bridges» between society and institutions. Thus, they assume that the social interests exist 'objectively', because they are defined by the social structure. On the contrary, the interest can only be defined on the basis of collective identities produced also by parties.