Hatred of Democracy - (Radical Thinkers) by Jacques Ranciere (Paperback)

About the Book

In this vehement defense of the principle of democracy, Jacques Ranciere argues that the West can no longer simply extol the virtues of democracy by contrasting it with the horrors of totalitarianism. With Western governments exporting democracy via brute force, and reactionary strands in mainstream political opinion willing to abandon civil liberties, Ranciere argues that true democracy-government by all-represents a challenge to all elitist forms of power, which has earned it the fear and hatred of the new ruling class. In a compelling and timely analysis, Hatred of Democracy rethinks the subversive power of the democratic ideal.

Book Synopsis

In this vehement defence of democracy, Jacques Rancière explodes the complacency of Western politicians who pride themselves as the defenders of political freedom. As America and its allies use their military might in the misguided attempt to export a desiccated version democracy, and reactionary strands in mainstream political opinion abandon civil liberties, Rancière argues that true democracy--government by all--is held in profound contempt by the new ruling class. In a compelling and timely analysis, Hatred of Democracy rethinks the subversive power of the democratic ideal.

Review Quotes

"This tastily sardonic essay is partly a scholarly sprint through the history of political philosophy, and partly a very enjoyable stream of insults directed at rival penseurs." --Guardian

"A piercing essay on the definitions and redefinitions of the term 'democracy.'" --Times Higher Education Supplement

"In our time of the disorientation of the left, Rancière's writings offer one the few consistent conceptualizations of how are to continue to resist." --Slavoj Žižek

About the Author

Jacques Rancière is Emeritus Professor of Philosophy at the University of Paris-VIII. His books include The Politics of Aesthetics, On the Shores of Politics, Short Voyages to the Land of the People, The Nights of Labor, Staging the People, and The Emancipated Spectator.