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Democracy in Dark Times: Traditions of Love in American Poetry

Democracy in Dark Times: Traditions of Love in American Poetry

by JeffreyC.Isaac (Author)

  • New

    Paperback 1998

    $54.54
Synopsis

In an effort to rethink what democracy means after the demise of European Communism, Isaac presents an integrated account of current events, contemporary history and political philosophy. He challenges the celebratory tones in which a global resurgence of democracy is often announced, urging a chastened conception of democratic politics which stresses the modest efforts of self-constituted civic initiative and movements. The text views contemporary democratic practice through the lens of Hannah Arendt's political theory and explores the difficulties of democratic citizenship and civil society which concerned Arendt. Isaac deals with issues of pressing relevance, including the Eastern and Central European revolutions of 1989, the future of democracy in America and the ethical significance of the Bosnian genocide. By using Arendt's ideas as a way to understand some of the most challenging problems of the 20th century, Isaac seeks to offer a sensitive treatment of the differences and affinities between her dark times and our own.

$54.54

Quantity

20+ in stock

More Information

Format: Paperback
 Pages: 256
 Publisher: Cornell University Press
Published: 26 Feb 1998
ISBN 10: 0801484545
ISBN 13: 9780801484544

Media Reviews
Timely and important. -Ethics
Timely and important. Ethics
In this rich collection of essays, Jeffrey Isaac provides a compelling and equally disturbing analysis of the prospects for a more radical liberal democratic praxis and a helpful guide to contemporary political theory. Eric Gregory, Journal of Religion
Jeffrey Isaac has written a tour de l'horizon of the state of democratic theory at the end of the 20th century. Choice
Timely and important. Ethics
In this engaging and rewarding collection of essays, Jeffrey Isaac sets out to think through the difficulties and possibilities for 'democracy in dark times.' . . . In this serious but lively collection . . . Isaac has successfully taken this important project to heart. Government and Opposition
Isaac. . . delivers a compelling, if dark, portrait of the present. . . his essays are eloquent and readable. Barbara Cruikshank, American Political Science Review
Jeffrey Isaac's essays, collected in Democracy in Dark Times, are particularly accessible political theory. . . . Even readers who do not agree with Isaac's assessment will find his cultural criticism challenging. In These Times
This will be the first of the many recent books on Hannah Arendt to move beyond exegesis to engage in the kind of thinking about politics that she so valued. The book brings an Arendtian voice back into contemporary politics. Lisa Disch, author of Hannah Arendt and the Limits of Philosophy
Jeffrey Isaac's new book is essential reading for anyone who seeks to grapple seriously with the challenges confronting progressive democratic aspirations. Ian Shapiro, Yale University
This is a truly illuminating and necessary book. Jeffrey Isaac lucidly explores the moral and political dilemmas of this turbulent fin-de-siecle, East and West. His passionate approach is inspired by a genuine moral vision that sees liberal democracy as an unfinished, continuously beleaguered project. Hannah Arendt and Albert Camus, I am sure, would have been in full agreement with his line of reasoning. Vladimir Tismaneanu, University of Maryland, College Park, author of Reinventing Politics: Eastern Europe from Stalin to Havel
This book reveals Isaac to be a first-rate essayist, a bold critic who writes about key issues of politics and democracy with learning, style, and power. Robert A. Dahl, Yale University
Persuaded by Jeffrey Isaac's argument about dark times, I nonetheless found these essays full of light strong, lively, provocative, and even, despite themselves, encouraging. There can't be a renewal of democratic theory and practice without the kind of critique that Isaac provides. Michael Walzer, Institute for Advanced Study