Political scientists often describe democracy as an "essentially contested" concept. By this, we mean that the meaning of democracy varies dramatically, both over time and from within particular political contexts. In contemporary America, this variation should seem intuitive: despite the idea that all Americans have equal rights and responsibilities, groups with highly different motivations and politics use democracy to justify their claims. From Occupy Wall Street and the Tea Party Movement to Black Lives Matter, Americans are used to wrestling with fundamentally different conceptions of democracy whether they realize it or not.
In this course, we will thus ask: how has democracy come to mean so many different things to so many different people? What kinds of political activities has it been called upon to validate? And if it is so contested, why does the notion of democracy continue to occupy such a vaunted place in so much contemporary thinking?
This course will focus on two families of questions related to the sources, values, and goals of democracy. The first will explore the emergence of the nearly universal assumption that democracy is a good thing. While democracy has been decried as a dangerous concept for much of human history, today nearly every kind of political activity is justified by calling upon democratic norms. What kinds of agreements among individuals and groups make "democracy" possible?
What activities constitute "citizenship," and in what ways are they desirable for political (and other) communities? How have canonical understandings of these concepts shaped the civic culture in which we find ourselves today?
The second family of questions, broadly made up of social theorists promoting a more robust conception of justice, argue that underneath formal equality, power and domination can still flourish. In turning to these theorists, we shall ask ourselves: Is formal equality adequate for democracy?
How can and why does domination persist under liberal democratic regimes? What avenues for change are possible in democracies?