Conversations with Tocqueville : the global democratic revolution in the twenty-first century

Bibliographic Information

Conversations with Tocqueville : the global democratic revolution in the twenty-first century

edited by Aurelian Craiutu and Sheldon Gellar

(Lexington books)

Lexington Books, c2009

  • : cloth
  • : pbk

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Includes bibliographical references and index

Description and Table of Contents
Volume

: cloth ISBN 9780739123010

Description

The questions and issues raised by Tocqueville in his monumental studies of France and America are just as crucial for understanding the evolution of democracy in the West and the development of democracy in the non-western world. They clearly show the breadth of Tocqueville's contributions to the development of modern social sciences. Among the questions addressed by Tocqueville were: How does the weight of the past affect the evolution of political institutions and political behavior? What impact do differences in physical environment have on the organization of society? What are the relationships between social equality, freedom, and democracy? To what extent does centralization destroy the capacity for local initiative and self-governance? What conditions are needed to nurture the flourishing of self-governing communities? What safeguards are needed to preserve freedom and to prevent incipient democracies from becoming dictatorships? Why has democracy had such a problem taking hold in many parts of the non-western world? How should one study democracy in non-western settings? Tocquevillian analytics can help us provide answers. Addressed to a wider audience than Tocqueville scholars, the book argues that Tocquevillian analytics can be used to understand developments in non-western as well as western societies and be updated to address such issues as globalization, ethnicity, New World-Old World comparisons, and East-West dynamics. The first part of the book examines the basic components of Tocquevillian analytics, outlining its stepwise, interdisciplinary approach to understanding societies and nations. The second part applies the Tocquevillian conceptual framework to the contemporary world and contains individual chapters on various regions of the world-North America, Russia, Western Europe, Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Unlike previous collective works on Tocqueville,Conversations with Tocqueville does not offer a survey of the authors' views, but instead focuses on presenting a cohesive

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 Preface Chapter 2 Chapter 1. Tocqueville and Us Chapter 3 Chapter 2. Citizen Sovereigns: The Implications of Hamilton's Query and Tocqueville's Conjecture about the Democratic Revolution Part 4 Part I. Tocquevillian Analytics Chapter 5 Chapter 3. Tocquevillian Analytics and the Global Democratic Revolution Chapter 6 Chapter 4. What Kind of Social Scientist Was Tocqueville? Part 7 Part II. Tocquevillian Analytics and the Contemporary World Chapter 8 Chapter 5. Racial Equality and Social Equality: Understanding Tocqueville's Democratic Revolution and the American Civil Rights Movement, 1954-1970 Chapter 9 Chapter 6. Democracy? In Guatemala? Chapter 10 Chapter 7. Grafting the Head of Liberty? Latin America's Move to the Left Chapter 11 Chapter 8. Th e Peril of Democratic Despotism in West European Egalitarian Democracy Chapter 12 Chapter 9. Democracy in Russia: A Tocquevillian Perspective Chapter 13 Chapter 10. Tocqueville in Africa: Analyzing African Local Governance Chapter 14 Chapter 11. Roots of Democracy in Burma Chapter 15 Chapter 12. The Road to Democracy in China: A Tocquevillian Analysis Chapter 16 Chapter 13. Tocqueville and Japan
Volume

: pbk ISBN 9780739123027

Description

The questions and issues raised by Tocqueville in his monumental studies of France and America are just as crucial for understanding the evolution of democracy in the West and the development of democracy in the non-western world. They clearly show the breadth of Tocqueville's contributions to the development of modern social sciences. Among the questions addressed by Tocqueville were: How does the weight of the past affect the evolution of political institutions and political behavior? What impact do differences in physical environment have on the organization of society? What are the relationships between social equality, freedom, and democracy? To what extent does centralization destroy the capacity for local initiative and self-governance? What conditions are needed to nurture the flourishing of self-governing communities? What safeguards are needed to preserve freedom and to prevent incipient democracies from becoming dictatorships? Why has democracy had such a problem taking hold in many parts of the non-western world? How should one study democracy in non-western settings? Tocquevillian analytics can help us provide answers. Addressed to a wider audience than Tocqueville scholars, the book argues that Tocquevillian analytics can be used to understand developments in non-western as well as western societies and be updated to address such issues as globalization, ethnicity, New World-Old World comparisons, and East-West dynamics. The first part of the book examines the basic components of Tocquevillian analytics, outlining its stepwise, interdisciplinary approach to understanding societies and nations. The second part applies the Tocquevillian conceptual framework to the contemporary world and contains individual chapters on various regions of the worldDNorth America, Russia, Western Europe, Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Unlike previous collective works on Tocqueville,Conversations with Tocqueville does not offer a survey of the authors' views, but instead focuses on presenting a cohesive theoretical framework of analysis that can then be applied and adjusted to fit a multitude of settings.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 Preface Chapter 2 Chapter 1. Tocqueville and Us Chapter 3 Chapter 2. Citizen Sovereigns: The Implications of Hamilton's Query and Tocqueville's Conjecture about the Democratic Revolution Part 4 Part I. Tocquevillian Analytics Chapter 5 Chapter 3. Tocquevillian Analytics and the Global Democratic Revolution Chapter 6 Chapter 4. What Kind of Social Scientist Was Tocqueville? Part 7 Part II. Tocquevillian Analytics and the Contemporary World Chapter 8 Chapter 5. Racial Equality and Social Equality: Understanding Tocqueville's Democratic Revolution and the American Civil Rights Movement, 1954-1970 Chapter 9 Chapter 6. Democracy? In Guatemala? Chapter 10 Chapter 7. Grafting the Head of Liberty? Latin America's Move to the Left Chapter 11 Chapter 8. Th e Peril of Democratic Despotism in West European Egalitarian Democracy Chapter 12 Chapter 9. Democracy in Russia: A Tocquevillian Perspective Chapter 13 Chapter 10. Tocqueville in Africa: Analyzing African Local Governance Chapter 14 Chapter 11. Roots of Democracy in Burma Chapter 15 Chapter 12. The Road to Democracy in China: A Tocquevillian Analysis Chapter 16 Chapter 13. Tocqueville and Japan

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