DSPO 25A59 - Democratic Theory and Democracy in Crisis

Throughout the 20th century, the presence of the word "democracy" has become mandatory in political discourses. Politicians from the left and the right claim to speak in the name of democracy. At the same time there is a disagreement about what democracy actually is, and a feeling that democracy is in crisis or at risk. This is expressed in politics, in criticism of the model of liberal and representative democracy, in the demand for a "real" democracy, and in voting for "populist" parties. But the discussion also arises among intellectuals. In light of contemporary debate, the course introduces, develops, and critically debates some of the major theories of democracy in political thought – liberal, deliberative, radical – and the responses they offer to the current crisis of democracy.
Thomas ZICMAN DE BARROS
Séminaire
English
Autumn 2024-2025
Three key passage proposals (40% of the grade): a one-page paper consisting of the selection and comment on an important passage of an assigned reading material; Final take-home essay (40% of the grade): a 2,000- word essay on a general topic; In-class participation (20% of the grade).
Crouch, Colin. 2004. Post-Democracy. Malden: Polity;
Manin, Bernard. 1997. The Principles of Representative Government. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press;
Keane, John. 2022. The Shortest History of Democracy: 4,000 Years of Self-Government – A Retelling for Our Times. New York: The Experiment.
Laclau, Ernesto. 2005. On Populist Reason. London: Verso;
Urbinati, Nadia. 2008. Representative Democracy: Principles and Genealogy, 60–100. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press.
Cohen, Joshua. (1989) 2002. Deliberation and Democratic Legitimacy'. In Debates in Contemporary Political Philosophy. New York: Routledge.
Ghodsee, Kristen Rogheh. 2017. Democracy for the Penguins'. In Red Hangover: Legacies of Twentieth-Century Communism, 179–200 Durham: Duke University Press.
Kaufman, Arnold Saul. 1969. Participatory Democracy: Ten Years Later'. In The Bias of Pluralism, edited by William Connolly, 201–12. Chicago: Atherton.
Lefort, Claude. (1983) 1988. The Question of Democracy'. In Democracy and Political Theory, 9–21. Cambridge: Polity Press.
Mondon, Aurelien, and Aaron Winter. 2020. Reactionary Democracy: How Racism and the Populist Far Right Became Mainstream. London: Verso.
Pateman, Carole. 1990. The Disorder of Women: Democracy, Feminism, and Political Theory. Stan-ford: Stanford University Press.
Schumpeter, Joseph Alois. (1942) 2008. Another Theory of Democracy'. In Capitalism, Socialism, and Democracy, 269–83. New York: Harper.