Democracy Against Itself

Mark Chou is Lecturer in Politics in the Faculty of Education and Arts at Australian Catholic University. He is also the author of Greek Tragedy and Contemporary Politics (Bloomsbury: 2012).

• Introduction; 1. Democracy Against Itself; 2. Democracy in Athens: Autonomy, Tragedy and Decline; 3. Democide in Weimar: Militant Democracy and the Paradox of Self-Defence; 4. The Coming Authoritarianism: The State of America’s Democracy; 5. China’s New Authoritarianism: A Glimpse at Our Post-Democratic Future?; 6. Occupy Democracy: Democracy Against Itself and the Global Occupy Movement

An enormously important book on politics and democracy. What makes it both interesting and brilliant reading is not Chou’s abandonment of democracy but his scorching analysis of how democracy is misrepresented – the perversions and swindles made in its name against its real promise. Read this book and you will never again take democracy for granted.