Agonistic Democracy

Rethinking Political Institutions in Pluralist Times

Bibliographic Data

ID19930839
AuthorsMarie Paxton (University of Kansas, corresponding author)
Year2019
Publication date2019-11-06
Open AccessNo
TypeBOOK
VenueAgonistic Democracy (SOURCE_BOOK)
PublisherRoutledge (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.4324/9780429425066
OpenAlexW4205144437
ISBN9780429425066
Open LibraryOL39638868M
LanguageEN
Citations received7

Agonistic Democracy explores how theoretical concepts from agonistic democracy can inform institutional design in order to mediate conflict in multicultural, pluralist societies. Drawing on the work of Foucault, Nietzsche, Schmitt and Arendt, Marie Paxton outlines the importance of their themes of public contestation, contingency and necessary interdependency for contemporary agonistic thinkers. Paxton then delineates three distinct approaches to agonistic democracy: David Owen's perfectionist agonism, Mouffe's adversarial agonism and William Connolly and James Tully's inclusive agonism. She demonstrates how each is fundamental to enabling citizens to cultivate better virtues for themselves and society (Owen), motivating democratic engagement (Mouffe) and enhancing relations of respect and understanding between conflicting citizens (Connolly and Tully). Situated within the context of a deeply polarised post-Trump America and post-Brexit Britain, this book reveals the need to rethink our approach to conflict mediation through democratic institutions. Pulling together insights from experimental research with deliberative democratic innovations, Paxton explores how agonistic theory might be institutionalised further. By discussing ways in which agonistic institutions might be developed to render democracy more virtuous, more engaging, and more inclusive, this book provides a unique resource for students of contemporary political theory

Aggression · Agonistic behaviour · Democracy · Political science · Politics · Law · Political Economy and Marxism · Psychology · Social Psychology · History & Theory · Philosophy · Political Ideologies

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