This topical book examines the debates around contemporary conflicts between liberal democracies and increasingly vociferous special interest groups within society. It analyses the way a new sense of difference and the growth of multi-culturalism are straining modern notions of citizenship and rights, looking in particular at how ethnic conflicts in Eastern Europe have escalated to international tragedies, while in the US and Canada, race, ethnicity and radical feminism are at the heart of a social conflict which challenges national identity and the unity of the state
Does fair political representation for historically disadvantaged groups require their presence in legislative bodies? The intuition that women are best represented by women, and African-Americans by other African-Americans, has deep historical roots. Yet the conception of fair representation that prevails in American political culture and jurisprudence--what Melissa Williams calls "liberal representation"--concludes that the social identity of legislative representatives does not bear on their quality as representatives. Liberal representation's slogan, "one person, one vote," concludes that the outcome of the electoral and legislative process is fair, whatever it happens to be, so long as no voter is systematically excluded. Challenging this notion, Williams maintains that fair representation is powerfully affected by the identity of legislators and whether some of them are actually members of the historically marginalized groups that are most in need of protection in our society.Williams argues first that the distinctive voice of these groups should be audible within the legislative process. Second, she holds that the self-representation of these groups is necessary to sustain their trust in democratic institutions. The memory of state-sponsored discrimination against these groups, together with ongoing patterns of inequality along group lines, provides both a reason to recognize group claims and a way of distinguishing stronger from weaker claims. The book closes by proposing institutions that can secure fair representation for marginalized groups without compromising principles of democratic freedom and equality
In a world no longer centered on the West, what should political theory become? Although Western intellectual traditions continue to dominate academic journals and course syllabi in political theory, up-and-coming contributions of 'comparative political theory' are rapidly transforming the field. Deparochializing Political Theory creates a space for conversation amongst leading scholars who differ widely in their approaches to political theory. These scholars converge on the belief that we bear a collective responsibility to engage and support the transformation of political theory. In these exchanges, 'deparochializing' political theory emerges as an intellectual, educational and political practice that cuts across methodological approaches. Because it is also an intergenerational project, this book presses us to re-imagine our teaching and curriculum design. Bearing the marks of its beginnings in East Asia, Deparochializing Political Theory seeks to de-center Western thought and explore the evolving tasks of political theory in an age of global modernity.
In a world no longer centered on the West, what should political theory become? Although Western intellectual traditions continue to dominate academic journals and course syllabi in political theory, up-and-coming contributions of 'comparative political theory' are rapidly transforming the field. Deparochializing Political Theory creates a space for conversation amongst leading scholars who differ widely in their approaches to political theory. These scholars converge on the belief that we bear a collective responsibility to engage and support the transformation of political theory. In these exchanges, 'deparochializing' political theory emerges as an intellectual, educational and political practice that cuts across methodological approaches. Because it is also an intergenerational project, this book presses us to re-imagine our teaching and curriculum design. Bearing the marks of its beginnings in East Asia, Deparochializing Political Theory seeks to de-center Western thought and explore the evolving tasks of political theory in an age of global modernity.
This volume introduces Rainer Forst's critical theory of toleration, offering a development of his major work Toleration in Conflict with critical engagement from a range of outstanding interlocutors, including Chandran Kukathas, Melissa S. Williams and Patchen Markell.
Published: 20 September 2018 ; Much of what political theorists have written about democracy over the past several decades presupposes, implicitly or explicitly, that democratic theorists need be concerned only with the ways in which citizens participate in the decision-making of their own states. In the last decade or so, however, this framework has become subject to increasing critical attention. The visibility of immigration as a public issue has brought into view the fact that every democratic state contains people who live within its boundaries but who are not citizens. Issues like climate change and the globalization of economic activities make it harder to assume that a given state's decisions only affect its own citizens. Finally, various factors have made it harder to ignore the fact that non-state actors like corporations and NGOs often exercise great collective power within and across state boundaries. Whose interests and views should be taken into account in a collective decision? In what ways should their interests and views be taken into account? Why? These are the fundamental questions that Rainer Bauböck has tried to address in a recent book that draws together decades of his thinking and writing about these topics. His original essay was already the subject of several responses in the volume in which it appeared, and this Critical Exchange, which grew out of a panel at the American Political Science Association meeting in 2018, seeks to extend that conversation further. The exchange begins with a brief summary by Bauböck of the book's main themes. This is followed by critical challenges from Sean Gray, Jennifer Rubenstein and Melissa Williams. The exchange concludes with a response from Bauböck to his critics.
Cover -- Half Title -- Title -- Copyright -- Contents -- Contributors -- Acknowledgements -- 1 Introduction -- 2 Constitutional Stigmatisation -- 3 The Contagion of Rights: Constitutions as Carriers -- 4 Impartial Justice and Partial Perspectives -- 5 Issues of Territoriality and Identity in the Irish Constitution -- 6 Cultural Identity and Constitutional Reform: The Challenge of Northern Ireland -- 7 'Race' and Language in American and Canadian Politics -- 8 Globalisation and Governance -- 9 Regional Integration and Restrictive Constitutionalism in North America and Western Europe -- 10 Constitutionalism as a Form of Conflict Resolution -- Bibliography -- Index
"East Asian Perspectives on Political Legitimacy What makes a government legitimate? Why do people voluntarily comply with laws, even when no one is watching? The idea of political legitimacy captures the fact that people obey when they think governments' actions accord with valid principles. For some, what matters most is the government's performance on security and the economy. For others, only a government that follows democratic principles can be legitimate. Political legitimacy is therefore a two-sided reality that scholars studying the acceptance of governments need to take into account"--
This cross-sectional telephone survey investigates compliance rates in the 42 states and the District of Columbia with legislation restricting tanning bed use in minors.