Description
Book SynopsisThe role of elites vis-a-vis the mass public in the construction and successful functioning of democracy has been a subject of central interest to political theorists. This book explores this theme in Thucydides' famous history of the Peloponnesian War as a way of rendering our thoughts about this relationship in our own modern democracy.
Trade Review“John Zumbrunnen’s book offers an inventive and provocative analysis not only of Thucydides’ History but also of the political issues such as democracy, empire, and realism that continue to engage scholars and policy makers alike.”
—Peter Euben,Duke University
“In Silence and Democracy, John G. Zumbrunnen moves beyond the traditional approaches to silence in political studies. . . . Zumbrunnen's contribution would be appreciated by democratic theorists, as well as by scholars of ancient political thought. His reading of silence as presence challenges the hegemony of perspectives that have rendered silence absent from politics and political theory, and his rereading of Thucydides provides fresh insight into democratic politics in ancient Greece.”
—Vincent Jungkunz Perspectives on Political Science
Table of ContentsContents
Acknowledgments
Introduction
1. Athenian Stasis and the Quiet of the Mob
2. The Silence of Hoi Athenaioi: Two Modes of Athenian Action in the History
3. Deliberative Action and Athenian “Character”
4. The Silence of the Demos and the Challenges of Political Judgment: On the “Decline” of Athenian Politics
5. Justice and Empire: Athenian Silence and the Representation of Athens Abroad
6. Athenian Silence and the Fate of Plataea
Conclusion: Thucydides for Democrats?
Bibliography
Index
