Voice, Trust, and Memory: Marginalized Groups and the Failings of Liberal Representation

Awards:   Winner of Best First Book in Political Philosophy Award of the Foundations of Political Theory Section of the American Political Science Association 1999 (United States)
Author:   Melissa S. Williams
Publisher:   Princeton University Press
Edition:   New edition
ISBN:  

9780691057385


Pages:   330
Publication Date:   13 August 2000
Format:   Paperback
Availability:   Manufactured on demand   Availability explained
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Voice, Trust, and Memory: Marginalized Groups and the Failings of Liberal Representation


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Awards

  • Winner of Best First Book in Political Philosophy Award of the Foundations of Political Theory Section of the American Political Science Association 1999 (United States)

Overview

"Does fair political representation for historically disadvantaged groups require their presence in legislative bodies? The intuition that women are best represented by women, and African-Americans by other African-Americans, has deep historical roots. Yet the conception of fair representation that prevails in American political culture and jurisprudence--what Melissa Williams calls ""liberal representation""--concludes that the social identity of legislative representatives does not bear on their quality as representatives. Liberal representation's slogan, ""one person, one vote,"" concludes that the outcome of the electoral and legislative process is fair, whatever it happens to be, so long as no voter is systematically excluded. Challenging this notion, Williams maintains that fair representation is powerfully affected by the identity of legislators and whether some of them are actually members of the historically marginalized groups that are most in need of protection in our society. Williams argues first that the distinctive voice of these groups should be audible within the legislative process.Second, she holds that the self-representation of these groups is necessary to sustain their trust in democratic institutions.The memory of state-sponsored discrimination against these groups, together with ongoing patterns of inequality along group lines, provides both a reason to recognize group claims and a way of distinguishing stronger from weaker claims. The book closes by proposing institutions that can secure fair representation for marginalized groups without compromising principles of democratic freedom and equality."

Full Product Details

Author:   Melissa S. Williams
Publisher:   Princeton University Press
Imprint:   Princeton University Press
Edition:   New edition
Dimensions:   Width: 15.20cm , Height: 1.90cm , Length: 23.50cm
Weight:   0.482kg
ISBN:  

9780691057385


ISBN 10:   0691057389
Pages:   330
Publication Date:   13 August 2000
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  College/higher education ,  Professional & Vocational ,  Tertiary & Higher Education
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Manufactured on demand   Availability explained
We will order this item for you from a manufactured on demand supplier.
Language:   English

Table of Contents

"AcknowledgmentsIntroduction: Voice, Trust, and Memory31Representation as Mediation232Liberal Equality and Liberal Representation573The Supreme Court, Voting Rights, and Representation834Voice: Woman Suffrage and the Representation of ""Woman's Point of View""1165Trust: The Racial Divide and Black Rights during Reconstruction1496Memory: The Claims of History in Group Recognition1767The Institutions of Fair Representation203Conclusion: Descriptive Representation with a Difference238Notes245Bibliography303Index319"

Reviews

This book is a stimulating and provocative contribution to the literature about the representation of marginalized groups, but it is more than this... Questions about the representations of groups go to the heart of theories of representation... It is an achievement to have cast these relationships in such a clear and revealing light. -- Charles R. Beitz American Political Science Review Substantial... The Supreme Court has taken a strong line against the use of race to shape electoral districts. Williams has some powerful arguments against their recent decisions... Williams, to her credit, does not rest at simply making the argument in favor of like representing like... She takes on the mind-boggling task of reviewing a host of schemes. -- Nathan Glazer Times Literary Supplement Voice, Trust, and Memory is an important and original contribution to contemporary debates on democracy. -- Dominique Leydet Canadian Journal of Political Science An extremely well-written, clear, and well-organized exploration of an alternative to liberal representation... It is an important book for scholars interested in issues of political representation. -- Pamela Paxton Contemporary Sociology An excellent piece of scholarship... Williams's argument skillfully weaves together the literatures of liberal political theory, feminist theory, critical race theory, and the new institutionalism. -- Sally J. Kenney Women & Politics


This book is a stimulating and provocative contribution to the literature about the representation of marginalized groups, but it is more than this... Questions about the representations of groups go to the heart of theories of representation... It is an achievement to have cast these relationships in such a clear and revealing light. -- Charles R. Beitz, American Political Science Review Substantial... The Supreme Court has taken a strong line against the use of race to shape electoral districts. Williams has some powerful arguments against their recent decisions... Williams, to her credit, does not rest at simply making the argument in favor of like representing like... She takes on the mind-boggling task of reviewing a host of schemes. -- Nathan Glazer, Times Literary Supplement Voice, Trust, and Memory is an important and original contribution to contemporary debates on democracy. -- Dominique Leydet, Canadian Journal of Political Science An extremely well-written, clear, and well-organized exploration of an alternative to liberal representation... It is an important book for scholars interested in issues of political representation. -- Pamela Paxton, Contemporary Sociology An excellent piece of scholarship... Williams's argument skillfully weaves together the literatures of liberal political theory, feminist theory, critical race theory, and the new institutionalism. -- Sally J. Kenney, Women & Politics


Author Information

Melissa S. Williams is Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Toronto.

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