Module Title: Democracy and Empire in Modern Political Thought
Module Leader: Benjamin R. Y. Tan
Module Description:
While the word democracy has ancient origins, only in the last two centuries or so has it been widely treated as a foundational concept in politics. At the core of this module is the thought that the modern history of democracy is in large part a story of empire. Many of the polities that were first described in the nineteenth century as democracies were either imperial powers or settler colonies. The practice of writing about the meaning of democracy often occurred within the context of—and in support of—such imperial projects. Those seeking to resist imperial domination have also mobilised the language of democracy to do so, and thus transformed the concept’s meaning, history, and power. A history of democracy without empire, then, would be a partial one.
This module examines some of the ways in which the history of democratic thought has intersected with imperial power, with a focus on Britain and its colonies (including the United States) since the early-nineteenth century. It explores how the concept and language of democracy has been shaped both by imperial projects and by attempts to problematise or resist them. The module proceeds chronologically, tracking the growing salience of democracy in global political thought, as well as its gradual reconfiguration as a concept incompatible with empire. Throughout this module, we will ask what relationship this history has to democratic theory today, including ongoing debates around democratic founding, sovereignty, citizenship, and borders.
Discussion in each session will revolve around a close reading of set texts in their contexts, sometimes in conjunction with works of contemporary political theory. These are not meant to represent exemplary or foundational texts, and have been selected partly for their diversity in genre and form. We will proceed on the view that the history of the concept of democracy is distinct from, but overlaps with, those of popular sovereignty, self-rule, self-determination, and universal suffrage.