Democracy and its discontents: Understanding the power of ideas

Have you ever wondered how ideas about power and identity shape our world?  Do you have opinions on the value of democracy or preferences on who should have citizenship rights and who should be excluded? Maybe you think democracy is a flawed system and would prefer an elite to rule over the ‘ignorant’? Or perhaps you would prefer a charismatic dictator who promises to make all the world’s problems go away?  But where do these ideas come from? How do they vary around the globe? How are they impacting the world today? And, most importantly, how do you critically evaluate them? 

In this unit you will explore texts, including manifestos, propaganda, songs, museums, monuments, digital archives, and excerpts from great philosophers that present different visions of democracy or alternative forms of political order. You will imagine and reconstruct what inspired people during the communist, fascist, liberal and nationalist revolutions that shaped the contemporary world. And you will look at those who reject liberal forms of democracy, and prefer dictatorships or rule by religious figures inspired by divine law.

Finally, you will consider how digital technologies are reshaping how we experience power and politics, by studying the formation of new political identities that have driven contemporary populism around the world. 

This unit will arm you with the skills of ideological analysis, enabling you to identify and evaluate the foundations of any country's claim to democracy. This unit aims to prepare you as a global citizen, ready to understand and navigate the ideational and practical elements of different visions of democracy and its alternatives.