When the People Rule: Popular Sovereignty in Theory and Practice

doi:10.1017/9781009263757

When the People Rule

Popular Sovereignty in Theory and Practice

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In recent decades, popular sovereignty has come under increasing pressure. The rise of populism, often illiberal or authoritarian, has undermined minority rights, individual autonomy, and rule of law. The expansion of international institutions and greater reliance on market and non-governmental organizations have gradually insulated large areas of policymaking from public control. In turn, these developments cast doubt on the viability and desirability of liberal democracy itself. When the People Rule argues that comprehending and responding to the political crises of our time requires a radical refocusing on popular sovereignty. Each chapter offers a fresh perspective and opens new avenues of inquiry into popular sovereignty, advancing debate over the very heart of this principle - what it means for the people to rule. Thorough and timely, this volume is also available as Open Access on Cambridge Core.

‘‘We, the People…’ are the beginning words of the American Constitution, perhaps ‘the’ founding document of popular sovereignty. Yet who are the People, and who decides who they are, and how? Such questions imply contested notions of identity, belonging, representation and agency. The excellent contributions to this timely volume do not shy away from controversy when pointing to the many challenges autocratic tendencies and nationalisms pose to the liberal order. The book is a ‘must-read’ for students of democracy and the future of liberalism.’

Helmut K. Anheier - Hertie School

‘This wide-ranging and timely volume argues persuasively that popular sovereignty is an essential concept for understanding political life. Drawing on an impressive variety of scholarly perspectives, the contributors show how popular sovereignty is an indispensable framework not only for analyzing the origins and evolution of modern democracies and their troubled present, but also for imagining their futures.’

Ran Halévi - Gallimard

‘When the People Rule is a refreshingly wide ranging, historically rich and conceptually sophisticated set of essays that illuminate the theory and practice of popular sovereignty. Its star cast of theorists and historians rescues the idea of self-rule from the condescension of those who regard it as an empty place holder or a purely formal concept. Instead, it focuses on how political sovereignty is made to work in different contexts through constant innovation and the actual labor of politics. Its essays shed light on many old puzzles in political theory. At the same time, it powerfully illuminates contemporary political debates over democracy and populism.’

Pratap Bhanu Mehta - Princeton University and Center for Policy Research Delhi

‘Who are The People? Should they rule? Can they? Do they? How? These are among the oldest and deepest questions in political theory. The answers offered by the erudite and provocative essays in this stellar collection set the terms for debating the most pressing issues facing democracy today.’

Josiah Ober - Stanford University

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Contents

When the People Rule
pp i-i
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SSRC Anxieties of Democracy - Series page
pp ii-ii
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Sponsored by the Social Science Research Council
pp iii-iv
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When the People Rule - Title page
pp v-v
Popular Sovereignty in Theory and Practice
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Copyright page
pp vi-vi
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Contents
pp vii-viii
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Figures
pp ix-x
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Notes on Contributors
pp xi-xiv
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Preface and Acknowledgments
pp xv-xviii
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Table of Cases
pp xix-xx
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Introduction
pp 1-20
- By Ewa Atanassow, Thomas Bartscherer, David A. Bateman
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Part I
pp 21-110
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1 - Plato and the Problems of Modern Politics
pp 23-39
- By Thomas Bartscherer
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2 - The Sovereign and the Tyrant
pp 40-56
Boundaries and Violation in Oedipus
- By Elizabeth K. Markovits
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3 - The Fact of Fiction
pp 57-72
Popular Sovereignty as Belief and Reality
- By Ioannis D. Evrigenis
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4 - Thomas Hobbes and the Making of Popular Sovereignty
pp 73-90
- By Richard Boyd
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5 - Popular Sovereignty on Trial
pp 91-110
Tocqueville versus Schmitt
- By Ewa Atanassow
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Part II
pp 111-254
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6 - “As God Rules the Universe”
pp 113-138
Reflections on the People and the State in Early America
- By Ira Katznelson
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7 - The Sovereign People and the Liberal Democratic State
pp 139-157
- By David A. Bateman
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8 - Three Vignettes
pp 158-172
Popular Sovereignty in French History
- By Daniella Sarnoff
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9 - The Founding of India and Popular Sovereignty
pp 173-188
- By Ornit Shani
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10 - The “Other” Boundary Problem
pp 189-203
Fictions of Popular Sovereignty at the State’s Edge
- By Matthew Longo
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11 - The #BlackLivesMatter Movement and Black Public Opinion
pp 204-217
A New Populist Divide in the Black Community?
- By Alvin B. Tillery,
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12 - Popular Sovereignty and Recognition
pp 218-233
- By H. Abbie Erler
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13 - Populism, Popular Sovereignty, and Periphery
pp 234-254
- By Julia R. Azari, Alexis Nemecek
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Part III
pp 255-334
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14 - The Place of Constitutional Courts in Regimes Embracing Popular Sovereignty
pp 257-274
Recent Problems in American Self-Governance
- By Carol Nackenoff
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15 - Popular Sovereignty, Populism, and Stories of Peoplehood
pp 275-291
- By Rogers M. Smith
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16 - Popular Sovereignty in the Trump Era
pp 292-303
A Case Study of Pedagogy and Practice
- By Nicole Mellow, Andrew J. Perrin
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Popular Sovereignty in Theory and Practice

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