Democracy and Inequality: The Challenge of a Society of Equals

About

Since antiquity, through the French and American revolutions, and into its modern and contemporary configurations, democracy has promised political equality. Somewhere along the way, democracy came to be understood as a political system that could deliver equality beyond the political realm as well. Today, the belief persists that, at some level, democracy promotes social and economic equality more effectively and more reliably than any other mode of governance. This belief persists despite an increasing share of wealth and property flowing to a small elite and tears in the social fabric visible in polarized populations and the rise of ethno-nationalism. Democracy and social and economic inequality are extremely compatible.

The aim of the course is to re-examine the relationship between democracy and equality by attending to the complexity and history of modern democratic societies. The course will employ a historical perspective and global scope, comparing democratic contexts across time and space. To this end, the course will foster a robust dialogue among students, activists, and scholars assembled from all over the world. Students will leave the course with a deeper understanding of the fraught relationship between democracy and equality as well as new questions and ideas about how it might be productively addressed.

Course leader

Dilip Gaonkar, Rhetoric and Public Culture, Northwestern University, Evanston, USA Shalini Randeria, President and Rector of Central European University, Vienna, Austria

Target group

The course invites applications from humanities and social science graduate students, post-doctoral researchers, and junior faculty who have received their Ph.D. within the last 5 years. Applications from advanced undergraduate students will also be considered.

Course aim

The aim of the course is to re-examine the relationship between democracy and equality by attending to the complexity and history of modern democratic societies. The course will employ a historical perspective and global scope, comparing democratic contexts across time and space. To this end, the course will foster a robust dialogue among students, activists, and scholars assembled from all over the world. Students will leave the course with a deeper understanding of the fraught relationship between democracy and equality as well as new questions and ideas about how it might be productively addressed.

Fee info