The Emergence of Illiberalism: Understanding a Global Phenomenon - Paperback

by Boris Vormann (Editor), Michael D. Weinman (Editor)

As illiberal and authoritarian trends are on the rise--both in fragile and seemingly robust democracies--there is growing concern about the longevity of liberalism and democracy. The purpose of this volume is to draw on the analytical resources of various disciplines and public policy approaches to reflect on the current standing of liberal democracy. Leading social scientists from different disciplinary backgrounds aim to examine the ideological and structural roots of the current crisis of liberal democracies, in the West and beyond, conceptually and empirically.

The volume is divided into two main parts:

• Part I explores tensions between liberalism and democracy in a longer-term, historical perspective to explain immanent vulnerabilities of liberal democracy. Authors examine the conceptual foundations of Western liberal democracy that have shaped its standing in the contemporary world. What lies at the core of illiberal tendencies?
• Part II explores case studies from the North Atlantic, Eastern Europe, Turkey, India, Japan, and Brazil, raising questions whether democratic crises, manifested in the rise of populist movements in and beyond the Western context, differ in kind or only in degree. How can we explain the current popular appeal of authoritarian governments and illiberal ideas?

The Emergence of Illiberalism will be of great interest to teachers and students of politics, sociology, political theory and comparative government.

Author Biography

Boris Vormann is Professor of Politics and Director of the Politics Section at Bard College Berlin. His research focuses on the role of the state in globalization and urbanization processes; nations and nationalism; and the crisis of democracy. His most recent books are Democracy in Crisis: The Neoliberal Roots of Popular Unrest (with Christian Lammert, 2019), and Contours of the Illiberal State (2019).

Michael Weinman is Professor of Philosophy at Bard College Berlin. He is the author of three books, most recently, The Parthenon and Liberal Education (2018, co-authored with Geoff Lehman), and the editor (with Shai Biderman) of Plato and the Moving Image (2019). His research focuses on Greek philosophy, political philosophy, and their intersection.