Modern isonomy : democratic participation and human rights protection as a system of equal rights : an essay

Bibliographic Information

Modern isonomy : democratic participation and human rights protection as a system of equal rights : an essay

Gerald Stourzh ; translated by Gerald Stourzh and Cynthia Peck-Kubaczek

University of Chicago Press, 2021

  • : paper

Other Title

Die moderne Isonomie : Menschenrechtsschutz und demokratische Teilhabe als Gleichberechtigungsordnung : ein Essay

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Originally published: Vienna : Böhlau Verlag, 2015

Includes bibliographical references (p. [141]-163) and index

Description and Table of Contents

Description

Until the eighteenth century, Western societies were hierarchical ones. Since then, they have transformed themselves into societies dominated by two features: participatory democracy and the protection of human rights. In Modern Isonomy, distinguished political theorist Gerald Stourzh unites these ideas as "isonomy." The ideal, Stourzh argues, is a state, and indeed a world, in which individual rights, including the right to participate in politics equally, are clearly defined and possessed by all. Stourzh begins with ancient Greek thought contrasting isonomy-which is associated with the rule of the many-with "gradated societies," oligarchies, and monarchies. He then discusses the American experiment with the development of representative democracy as well as the French Revolution, which proclaimed that all people are born and remain free and with equal rights. But progress on the creation and protection of rights for all has been uneven. Stourzh discusses specifically the equalization of slaves, peasants, women, Jews, and indigenous people. He demonstrates how deeply intertwined the protection of equal rights is with the development of democracy and gives particular attention to the development of constitutional adjudication, notably the constitutional complaint of individuals. He also discusses the international protection human rights. Timely and thought-provoking, Modern Isonomy is an erudite exploration of political and human rights.

Table of Contents

Preface Introduction 1 Isonomy in Greek Antiquity 2 Gradations: Hierarchy in This World and the Other World 3 Equalizations: Ways toward Modern Isonomy in America and in France 4 Democracy with Adjectives 5 The Six Components of Modern Isonomy General Legal Capacity: From Slavery to Freedom Equality before the Law The Liberation of Peasants Tolerance and Equalization of Religious Groups Jewish Emancipation and Renewed Deprivation of Rights On the Equal Rights of Women Indigenous Persons Citizens and Foreigners Positive Discrimination (Affirmative Action) The Evolution of Fundamental Rights The Protection of Fundamental Rights as Part of Constitutional Justice The Internationalization of Fundamental Rights as Human Rights Democracy Conclusion: The Two Focal Points of Modern Isonomy Bibliography Index of Names

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