By Temma Kaplan (NHC Fellow, 1992–93) Crazy for Democracy vividly shows, through the lives of six women in the United States and South Africa, just what can be and is being accomplished to change our lives. At a time when we're depressed about democracy, pessimistic about race relations, and anxious about feminism, Crazy for Democracy vividly shows, through … Continued
By John Agresto (NHC Fellow, 1978–79; 1979–80) In The Supreme Court and Constitutional Democracy John Agresto traces the development of American judicial power, paying close attention to what he views as the very real threat of judicial supremacy. Agresto examines the role of the judiciary in a democratic society and discusses the proper place of congressional power … Continued
Edited by Judith A. Byfield (NHC Fellow, 2007–08)
By Glenda Elizabeth Gilmore (NHC Fellow, 2006–07) From two major scholars, a powerful narrative that explores the making and unmaking of American democracy and global power in the twentieth century. President Franklin Roosevelt told Americans in a 1936 fireside chat, “I do not look upon these United States as a finished product. We are still … Continued
By Nancy MacLean (NHC Fellow, 2008–09; 2021–22) Behind today’s headlines of billionaires taking over our government is a secretive political establishment with long, deep, and troubling roots. The capitalist radical right has been working not simply to change who rules, but to fundamentally alter the rules of democratic governance. But billionaires did not launch this movement; a … Continued
Edited by Merrill D. Peterson (NHC Fellow, 1980–81) Now fully represented in this Library of America volume is the most comprehensive testimony of the writings of our third president and foremost spokesperson for democracy. Thomas Jefferson, a brilliant political thinker, is perhaps best known for the Declaration of Independence, but he was a man of … Continued
By Joshua I. Miller (NHC Fellow, 1993–94) Nineteenth-century psychologist and pragmatist philosopher William James is rarely considered a political theorist. Renowned as the author of The Principles of Psychology and The Varieties of Religious Experience, James is often viewed as a radical individualist with no interest in politics; yet he was a critic of imperialism and absolutism and … Continued
By Jennifer Cole (NHC Fellow, 1997–98) While doing fieldwork in a village in east Madagascar that had suffered both heavy settler colonialism and a bloody anticolonial rebellion, Jennifer Cole found herself confronted by a puzzle. People in the area had lived through almost a century of intrusive French colonial rule, but they appeared to have … Continued
Edited by John Agresto (NHC Fellow, 1978–79; 1979–80)
By Josiah Ober (NHC Fellow, 1983–84) This book asks an important question often ignored by ancient historians and political scientists alike: Why did Athenian democracy work as well and for as long as it did? Josiah Ober seeks the answer by analyzing the sociology of Athenian politics and the nature of communication between elite and … Continued