Med udgangspunkt i historiske kilder, komparativ forskning og konkrete eksempler viser bogen, at ofte gentagne påstande – såsom at demokrati ikke kan defineres, at det opstod i det antikke Athen, at det kun er for vestlige lande, at det er ineffektivt, eller at det er i endeløs tilbagegang – hviler på et usikkert grundlag. I en klar, tilgængelig og forskningsbaseret stil viser forfatterne, hvordan disse myter forvrænger vores forståelse af demokrati og overdriver dets sårbarheder – og udfordrer dommedagsfortællingerne om demokrati for at tilbyde et mere afbalanceret, historisk informeret perspektiv. Uden at ignorere reelle udfordringer som populisme, polarisering og autoritært modspil understreger bogen, at demokratiets centrale løfte – den fredelige magtoverførsel gennem valg – fortsat er uovertruffen som et redskab til at sikre fred, frihed og fremskridt. Den er således både en myteaflivning og en afhandling til forsvar for demokratiet.

Denne bog er af stor interesse for forskere og studerende inden for demokrati og, mere bredt, for læsere med interesse for internationale relationer, komparativ politik og historie.

Forfattere
Bogen er skrevet af Jørgen Møller og Svend-Erik Skaaning.

Find mere information om bogen på Seven Myths about Democracy - 1st Edition - Jørgen Møller - Svend-Er

Open access Seven Myths about Democracy | Jørgen Møller, Svend-Erik Skaaning | Tay.

Anmeldelser

“This provocative book provides a great service to scholars and the broader public by convincingly debunking several misconceptions that depict modern democracy as seriously limited or in terminal decline. By countering global alarmism, Møller and Skaaning, in their admirably wide-ranging discussion, offer a balanced assessment of the current conditions and future prospects of political liberalism. Highly recommended!”

Kurt Weyland, University of Texas at Austin, USA

“Drawing on their vast historical and empirical knowledge, as well as conceptual and theoretical expertise, Jørgen Møller and Svend-Erik Skaaning have written a very insightful and brilliantly communicated book about democracy. Summed up as responses to seven myths, the book provides a much-needed corrective to current (and past) discourses about democracy, its origins, feebleness, ineffectiveness, and suitability across different contexts. Democracy is not on the brink of disappearing, despite recent troubles. And, contrary to widespread views, it is neither an inherent “western” mode of governance nor does it spell trouble for social and economic development. This book deserves to be widely read, and its insights and messages should be taken to heart both by academics and policymakers working with democracy-related questions.”

Carl Henrik Knutsen, University of Oslo, Norway