Overview

With public confidence in representative institutions dropping to distressing levels, it is time for political theorists to turn their attention to representation, and to reconceive its normative foundations and connections to other aspects of a revived public life. With contributions from Canada's leading democratic theorists, this volume investigates theoretical and practical aspects of innovative political representation in the early 21st century. Some authors tackle problematic dimensions of representation head on, while others explore democratic participation and deliberation, multicultural pluralism, contested citizenship, and other background conditions of contemporary representation. Still others consider the challenges posed to representation by national minorities, national boundaries, multinational and federal governance, and cultural and social obstacles to either individual or group autonomy. Throughout, the volume reveals the complexity of political representation at the beginning of the 21st century, and demonstrates how normatively addressing the problem of representation crystallizes and illuminates debates over the nature of justice, equality, citizenship and deliberation in contemporary democratic politics. A crucial supplement to empirical studies of conventional political representation, Representation and Democratic Theory offers a timely and thought-provoking contribution to contemporary democratic theory. It will be a necessary and welcome addition to the libraries of a wide range of political and social scientists. A thought-provoking collection of essays by leading political theorists that illuminates the complexity of political representation in contemporary democratic politics.

Full Product Details

Author:   David Laycock
Publisher:   University of British Columbia Press
Imprint:   University of British Columbia Press
Weight:   0.520kg
ISBN:  

9780774810784

ISBN 10:   0774810785
Pages:   304
Publication Date:   10 May 2004
Audience:   College/higher education ,  Professional and scholarly ,  Undergraduate ,  Postgraduate, Research & Scholarly
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In Print  
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Table of Contents

AcknowledgmentsIntroduction / David LaycockPart 1: Representation in Response to Minority Rights, Multiculturalism and Institutional Complexity1. When (if ever) Are Referendums on Minority Rights Fair? / Avigail Eisenberg2. Language, Representation, and Suprastate Democracy: Questions Facing the European Union / Peter Ives3. Getting to Yes: People, Practices, and the Paradox of Multicultural Democracy / Catherine Frost4. Feminist Engagement with Federal Institutions: Opportunities and Constraints for Women's Multilevel Citizenship / Louise ChappellPart 2: Reconceiving Representation through Citizenship and Community5. Sharing the River: Aboriginal Representation in Canadian Political Institutions / Melissa S. Williams6. The Self-Government of Unbounded Communities: Emancipatory Minority Autonomy in China and Western Europe / Susan J. Henders7. What Do Citizens Need to Share? Citizenship as Reasonableness / Jonathan QuongPart 3: Pluralist, Deliberative, and Participatory Challenges to Representation8. The New Constitutionalism and the Polarizing Performance of the Canadian Conversation / Gerald Kernerman9. Demanding Deliberative Democracy and Representation / Greg Pyrcz10. What Can Democratic Participation Mean Today? / Mark E. Warren11. Representing Pluralism: A Comment on Pyrcz, Warren, and Kernerman / Simone ChambersConclusionReferencesNotes on ContributorsIndex

Reviews

Scholars of many different areas of political science will probaly find something here that addresses their own concerns, while scholars of either Canadian politics or democratic theory are likely to find much of interest in this collection. -- Alexandra Kelso, University of Strathclyde * Political Studies Review, Vol 3, No 3, September 2005 *

Scholars of many different areas of political science will probaly find something here that addresses their own concerns, while scholars of either Canadian politics or democratic theory are likely to find much of interest in this collection. -- Alexandra Kelso, University of Strathclyde Political Studies Review, Vol 3, No 3, September 2005

Author Information

David Laycock is a professor in the Department ofPolitical Science at Simon Fraser University.

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