|
|
books
| book details |
Elites, Non-Elites, and Political Realism: Diminishing Futures for Western Societies
By (author) John Higley
|
| on special |
normal price: R 1 294.95
Price: R 1 165.95
|
| book description |
This provocative and groundbreaking book challenges accepted wisdom about the role of elites in both maintaining and undermining democracy in an increasingly authoritarian world. John Higley traces patterns of elite political behavior and the political orientations of non-elite populations throughout modern history to show what is and is not possible in contemporary politics. He situates these patterns and orientations in a range of regimes, showing how they have played out in revolutions, populist nationalism, Arab Spring failures to democratize, the conflation of ultimate and instrumental values in today’s liberal democracies, and American political thinkers’ misguided assumption that non-elites are the principal determinants of politics. Critiquing the optimistic outlooks prevalent among educated Westerners, Higley considers them out of touch with reality because of spreading employment insecurity, demoralization, and millennial pursuits in their societies. Attacks by domestic and foreign terrorists, effects of climate change, mass migrations from countries outside the West, and disease pandemics exacerbate insecurity and further highlight the flaws in the belief that democracy can thrive and spread worldwide. Higley concludes that these threats to the well-being of Western societies are here to stay. They leave elites with no realistic alternative to a holding operation until at least mid-century that husbands the power and political practices of Western societies. Drawing on decades of research, Higley’s analysis is historically and comparatively informed, bold, and in some places dark—and will be sure to foster debate.
| product details |
Normally shipped |
Publisher | Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
Published date | 29 Oct 2021
Language |
Format | Paperback / softback
Pages | 176
Dimensions | 205 x 143 x 12mm (L x W x H)
Weight | 286g
ISBN | 978-1-5381-6288-0
Readership Age |
BISAC | political science / political ideologies / democracy
| other options |
Normally shipped |
Readership Age |
Normal Price | R 1 613.95
Price | R 1 452.95
| on special |
|
|
To view the items in your trolley please sign in.
| sign in |
|
|
|
| specials |
|
|
|
Matt Dinniman
Paperback / softback
480 pages
was: R 523.95
now: R 461.95
|
|
|
An epic love story with the pulse of a thriller that asks: what would you risk for a second chance at first love?
|
|
|
|
