Living under Post-Democracy: Citizenship in Fleetingly Democratic Times

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When money equates to power and the system is rigged in favor of wealthy elites, why do we still pretend we are living in a democracy? In Living under Post-Democracy, Caleb R. Miller challenges us to admit what we already know: that most of us are effectively powerless over the political decisions that govern our lives. Instead, we should embrace a 'post-democratic' view of politics, one which recognizes the way in which our political institutions fail―both systematically and historically―to live up to our democratic ideals, while also acknowledging our tragic, yet enduring attachment to them both. Offering a new framework for conceptualizing contemporary citizenship, Miller explores how a post-democratic perspective can help us begin to reorient ourselves in our paradoxical, fractured political landscape. This model of citizenship opens the possibility for a distinctly post-democratic approach to both political participation and political philosophy, treating them not as ways of affecting politics, but as opportunities for therapeutically engaging with the ongoing challenges and inevitable frustrations of post-democratic life. This book is an excellent addition to courses on democratic theory, as well as introductory courses to political theory. Cover Half Title Series Page Title Page Copyright Page Dedication Table of Contents Acknowledgments Preface 1. Introduction A Brief History of Democracy Democracy in Despair Contemporary, Mass “Democracy” Introducing Post-Democracy Plan of the Book 2. What is Post-Democracy? Democratic Failure Democratic Values Democratic Sovereignty Democratic Tradition and Culture The Problem of Post-Democracy 3. Idealism, Realism, and Acknowledgment Democratic Idealism Inexorable Idealism Democratic Realism Acknowledging Post-Democracy 4. Post-Democratic Political Philosophy Fear and Loathing under Post-Democracy Philosophy as Therapy Political Philosophy as Therapy Post-Democracy and Pessimism Confronting Post-Democracy 5. Post-Democratic Citizenship Post-Democratic Political Domination Hobbesian Inroads into Post-Democratic Philosophy The Subject and the Servant Democratic Hope and Post-Democratic Fear A Post-Democratic Political Logic 6. Post-Democratic Participation Three Approaches to (Pseudo-)Political Activity Post-Democracy in Practice The Politics of Post-Democracy 7. Conclusion Index