Responsable : Audra Bullard

Description :

The fundamental unit of political organization in the world today is the sovereign state. As the political unit with a monopoly on the use of force, states emerged in the 1600s as a response to the particular challenges of the modern world, when technology and trade rendered the fragmented nature of politics in the Middle Ages obsolete. And yet, the top-down authority of the centralized state has always existed in a kind of uneasy tension with the other ideals of that era, when philosophical Enlightenment challenged the authority of inherited wisdom and gave rise to conceptions of individual freedom. Since
then, the enduring debate of political organization has been dominated by the question of who should lead, kings or people. In this lecture, Ethan Hollander traces this history of democracy and its alternatives, from the foundations of the modern state to the demands of the 21st century. Though the particulars have changed, the question at the root of today’s political conflict remains the same: Do the demands of a centralized state require the authority that only a dictator can provide, or the collective legitimacy that can only come from democracy?

 

Ethan Hollander is an Associate Professor of Political Science at Wabash College and creator of “Democracy and Its Alternatives,” a 24-lecture series produced for the Great Courses (now Wondrium), on the future of democracy, not just in the U.S., but globally. He is the author of the book “Hegemony and the Holocaust: State Power and Jewish Survival in Occupied Europe” and a number of scholarly articles on topics ranging from democratization and authoritarian regimes to the politics of organ transplantation. He teaches courses on Nationalism and Ethnic Conflict; European Politics; Politics of the Middle East; Cuban Politics and Culture; Political Development; Voting and Electoral Systems; The Holocaust and Genocide; and Research Methods and Statistics. He received a BA from Wesleyan University, and a MA and PhD from the University of California at San Diego.

Notes : Cancellation Policy (Please Read) Please let us know immediately if you are unable to attend a class. There is no refund for cancellations within two (2) weeks prior to a scheduled class. Programs that include food, beverage or art materials must be canceled within three (3) weeks prior in order to receive a refund. CLE reserves the right to cancel a program if the minimum enrollment has not been met or for circumstances beyond our control, and participants will be notified, a complete refund will be issued. All classes are held in the CLE Lecture Hall at the Peggy Crosby Center unless otherwise noted. In the event information has changed from the published brochure, it will be posted on our website and in our e-blasts. Addresses for “private home” venues will be provided to registrants within 2 days of the program date.

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