DSPO 27A68 - Government and Democracy between Nations, Europe and the World

In this course, we will examine the scope of the transformations affecting our democratic regimes in the wake of the upheavals brought about by “globalization.” We will seek to grasp the ambivalent nature of this global movement, which operates simultaneously as a force of unification and fragmentation of the world. The objective will thus be to recapture the major contemporary political stakes beyond the social, economic, moral, and legal considerations that appear to dominate our lives and foster the illusion of a possible depoliticization of our world.

Although our democratic aspirations seem increasingly inclined to free themselves from any clearly defined political framework, in the name of the emancipation of civil society and individuals, we will nevertheless show that the major challenges of our time remain, above all, political problems that require restoring decisive importance to the political perspective. Accordingly, through the study of major events and contemporary currents of thought, we will discuss both governmental action and the theses of leading contemporary political analysts.

We will raise the problem of the indeterminate political orientation of our liberal democracies when confronted with the great challenges of our time. Our task will be to reflect on the conditions of good government in a globalized context marked by economic crises, the rise of social inequalities, identity and migratory crises, environmental risks, the persistence of states of war and the threat of terrorism, as well as the crisis of representative systems faced with the fever of populisms.

• An oral presentation on one of the texts selected from the course reader.
• A written essay, freely chosen, related to one or more of the course themes, to be submitted at the end of the semester.
• An evaluation note for class participation.