Democratic Theorists In Conversation

The principles and practices of democracy in the twenty-first century have changed drastically from how they were understood hundreds and even thousands of years ago. In the world today, we not only think about democracy differently and practice it differently, we are also predicting new and distinct futures for it.

On top of this, the origins of democracy have been brought into question while democratic theory has been picked apart and the practice of democracy has been presented with new challenges. This book argues that the result of these changes is a new understanding of democracy termed 'new democratic theory'.

Through interviews with renowned democratic theorists working today, Ulrich Beck, Noam Chomsky, John Dryzek, John Dunn, Francis Fukuyama, David Held, Ramin Jahanbegloo, John Keane, Pierre Rosanvallon, Thomas Seeley, and Albert Weale, this book provides an in-depth exploration of new democratic theory.

The result is striking with each interview highlighting new dimensions and changes to our understanding of democracy. Review: 'This book is a must for anyone interested in new ways of thinking about democracy. The lively and engaging style of the conversations with leading theorists made the collection a compelling read from start to finish.'- Paulina Tambakaki, Centre for the Study of Democracy, University of Westminster, UK 'Democratic Theorists in Conversation is a timely, kaleidoscopic set of stimulating interviews, producing fresh and surprising insights into the past, present, and possibly future practices of democracy.'- Nikolas Kompridis, Professorial Fellow in Philosophy, University of Western Sydney, Australia 'The interview is an under-utilized but hugely rewarding resource in political theory.

In this book the reader gets to listen-in to conversations with leading philosophers and intellectuals as they speak in their own words about the challenges and hopes of democracy today.'- Simone Chambers, Professor of Political Theory, Department of Political Science, University of Toronto, Canada