Description
Book SynopsisFew terms elicit such strong and varied feelings and yet have so little clarity as democracy. Leaders of large states use democracy to designate their nations’ public character even as critics and rivals use the term to validate their own political perspectives. In Envisioning Democracy, the editors and contributors address the following questions: What does democracy mean today? What could it mean tomorrow? What is the dynamic of democracy in an increasingly interdependent world?
Envisioning Democracy explores these questions amid the dynamic of democracy as a political phenomenon interacting with forms of economic, ethical, ethnic, and intellectual life. The book draws on the work of Sheldon S. Wolin (19222015), one of the most influential American theorists of the last fifty years. Here, scholars consider the historical conditions, theoretical elements, and practical impediments to democracy, using Wolin’s insights as touchstones in thinking thr
Table of Contents
Introduction Section 1: Wolin and Democratic Theory – Ancient Roots, Modern Issues 1. Interpreting Democracy in Undemocratic Societies John R. Wallach 2. Aristotle on Enmity: Ideology, Somatic Justice, and Emotions Ingrid Creppell 3. Sheldon Wolin and Democratic “Theory” Jason Frank Section 2: Memory and Myth in Wolin and Beyond 4. Wolin on Myth: A Critique Terence Ball 5. Social Amnesia in Canada’s TRC: Sheldon Wolin, Radical Indigenous Thought, and the Settler-Colonial Politics of Reconciliation Calvin L. Lincez Section 3: Democracy and Political Education: Wolin and Contemporary Interlocutors 6. Realistic Political Education Stephen Esquith 7. Wolin and Said on Political Education, Vision, and Intellectual Tradition Lucy Cane Section 4: Thinking with and beyond Wolin – Current Democratic Practices and Issues 8. Democracy between Reactionary Tribalism and the Megastate Iain Webb 9. The Historical Fate of Fugitive Democracy Today Terry Maley 10. Transformative Sanctuary: Rethinking Fugitive Democracy and Black Fugitivity with Frontline Communities in the Underground Railroad Romand Coles and Lia Haro 11. Visioning Limits or Unlimited Vision? The Vocation of Political Theory in the Anthropocene Andrew Biro
