Edinburgh Companion to the History of Democracy - From Pre-History to Future Possibilities

'A learned and powerful corrective to the conventional wisdom that democracy has specifically Western roots. The editors and contributors authoritatively demonstrate, rather, that the will of the people, citizen engagement and the rule of law have cut across very different cultural and historical trajectories. In so doing they reveal the complexity of democratic ideas and counter the facile and self-satisfied assumptions that have long characterised their study.' James Piscatori, Durham University 'This celebration of democracy's big tent explores a wide range of historical societies that might be seen as manifesting democratic tendencies or proto-democratic institutions, probes the successes and failures of recent democratic movements, and interrogates the future of citizen government.' Josiah Ober, Stanford University Democracy has never been more popular. It is successfully practised today in many different ways by people across virtually every cultural, religious or socio-economic context. The 45 original essays collected in this companion suggest that the global popularity of democracy derives in part from its breadth and depth in the common history of human civilization. It sets a benchmark as the first collection on the history of democracy to present lesser known examples, such as those of ancient China, medieval Islam, colonial Africa or today's Burma, alongside more familiar cases like Athens, the English Parliament, the French Revolution and Women's Suffrage. Understanding where democracy comes from, and where its greatest successes and most dismal failures lie, is central to democracy's project of inventing ways to address the need of people everywhere to live in peace and freedom and with a say in the decisions that affect their lives. Key Features - Confronts the critical questions: what is democracy and where does it come from - Includes chapters that range in scope from pre-history to new technologies, addressing democracy on every inhabited continent, and in conjunction with every major religious belief or set of cultural customs - Includes contributions from an international range of authors including Jack Goody, John Keane, John Markoff, Larbi Sadiki and many others Benjamin Isakhan is Australian Research Council Discovery (DECRA) Research Fellow in the Centre for Citizenship and Globalisation at Deakin University, Australia. He is author of Democracy in Iraq: History, Politics and Discourse (2012) and the editor of five books including The Legacy of Iraq (Edinburgh University Press, 2015). Stephen Stockwell is Professor of Journalism and Communication in the School of Humanities at Griffith University, Australia. His publications include All Media Guide to Fair and Cross Cultural Reporting (2000), Political Campaign Strategy (2005), Rhetoric and Democracy (2010) and The Secret History of Democracy (2011). Cover image: Dawn Of Democracy, Maldives, 2008 (c) Mauroof Khaleel/Getty Images. Cover design: [EUP logo] www.euppublishing.com

Sommario

Acknowledgements; Notes on Contributors; Preface, Jack Goody; Introduction: The Complex and Contested History of Democracy, Benjamin Isakhan; Part I: Pre Classical Democracy; Pre History, Christopher Boehm; The Assyrians, Benjamin Isakhan; Ancient India, Steven Muhlberger; Ancient China, Victoria Tin bor Hui; Israel and Phoenicia, Stephen Stockwell; Part II: Classical Democracy; Early Greece, Kurt A. Raaflaub; Athens, David J. Phillips; Rome, Philip Matyszak; Part III: Medieval Democracy; Islam, Larbi Sadiki; Venice, Stephen Stockwell; The Nordic Countries, Frode Hervik; The Christian Church, John P. Hittinger; Part IV: Early Modern Democracy; The English Parliament, Ann Lyon; The Levellers and Diggers, Andrew Bradstock; The Swiss Cantons, Thomas Lau; The American Revolution, Andrew Shankman; The French Revolution, John Markoff; Part V: Colonialism and Democracy; Africa, Maxwell Owusu; Native Americans, Bruce E. Johansen; Australasia, Tim Rowse; Singapore, Christine Doran; Part VI: National Movements; 1808: South American Liberation, John Fisher; 1848: European Revolutions, Mike Rapport; 1919: After Versailles, Conan Fischer; 1945: Post WWII Japan, Takashi Inoguchi; 1989: Eastern Europe, Peter M. E. Volten; Part VII: Peoples' Movements; Anti Slavery, Seymour Drescher; Women's Suffrage, Patricia Grimshaw and Charles Sowerwine; Socialism, Communism, Anarchism, Barry Hindess; Civil Rights, Michael L. Ondaatje; Part VIII: Democracy Today; South Africa, Roger Southall; Bolivia, Juan Manuel Arbona and Carmen Medeiros; Georgia, Lincoln A. Mitchell; Iraq, Benjamin Isakhan; Burma, Donald M. Seekins; China Since Tiananmen Square, Baogang He; Islam Since 9/11, Nader Hashemi; Part IX: Futures and Possibilities; Democracy Promotion, Christopher Hobson; Transnational Democracy, James Anderson; Digital Democracy, Brian Loader; Radical Democracy, Lincoln Dahlberg; Deliberative Democracy, Kasper M. Hansen and Christian F. Rostboll; New Thinking, John Keane; Conclusion: The Future History of Democracy, Stephen Stockwell; Index.

Info autore

Benjamin Isakhan is Associate Professor of Politics and Policy Studies and Director of the Middle East Studies Forum in the Alfred Deakin Institute at Deakin University, Australia. He is also Adjunct Senior Research Associate, Department of Politics and International Relations at the University of Johannesburg, South Africa and an Associate of the Sydney Democracy Network at the University of Sydney, Australia. He is the author of Democracy in Iraq: History, Politics and Discourse (Ashgate, 2012) and the editor of 6 books including The Edinburgh Companion to the History of Democracy (Edinburgh University Press, 2015 [2012]). Ben's current research includes a 3-year funded project entitled 'Measuring Heritage Destruction in Iraq and Syria'. Stephen Stockwell is Professor of Journalism and Communication in the School of Humanities at Griffith University, Australia. Previously he worked as a journalist, press secretary and media consultant. His publications include All Media Guide to Fair and Cross Cultural Reporting (2000), Political Campaign Strategy (2005), Rhetoric and Democracy (2010) and The Secret History of Democracy (2011).

Riassunto

Re-examines the long and complex history of democracy and broadens the traditional view of this history by complementing it with examples from unexplored or under-examined quarters.

Dettagli sul prodotto

• Autori: Benjamin Isakhan, Benjamin (Australian Research Council Dis Isakhan, Benjamin Stockwell Isakhan
• Con la collaborazione di: Benjamin Isakhan (Editore), Benjamin (Australian Research Council Discovery Early Career Researcher Award (DECRA) and Senior Research Fellow Isakhan (Editore), Stephen Stockwell (Editore), Stephen (Professor of Journalism and Communication Stockwell (Editore)
• Editore: Edinburgh University Press
• Lingue: Inglese
• Formato: Tascabile
• Pubblicazione: 24.03.2015
• EAN: 9781474400145
• ISBN: 978-1-4744-0014-5
• Pagine: 384
• Categorie: Scienze sociali, diritto, economia > Scienze politiche > Scienze politiche e cittadinanza attiva; Scienze umane, arte, musica > Storia > Tematiche generali, enciclopedie