Skip to main content

Distributed for University of British Columbia Press

Representation and Democratic Theory

With public confidence in representative institutions dropping to distressing levels, it is time for political theorists to reconnect issues of representation to considerations of justice, rights, citizenship, pluralism, and community. Representation and Democratic Theory investigates theoretical and practical aspects of innovative political representation in the early twenty-first century. It reveals the complexity of contemporary political representation and the importance of re-invigorating public life outside legislatures, political parties, and competitive elections.

A crucial supplement to empirical studies of conventional political representation this book offers a timely and thought-provoking contribution to contemporary democratic theory. It will be a necessary and welcome addition to the libraries of many political and social scientists.


304 pages | © 2004

Political Science: Political and Social Theory


Table of Contents

Acknowledgments Introduction / David Laycock Part 1: Representation in Response to Minority Rights, Multiculturalism and Institutional Complexity 1. When (if ever) Are Referendums on Minority Rights Fair? / Avigail Eisenberg 2. Language, Representation, and Suprastate Democracy: Questions Facing the European Union / Peter Ives 3. Getting to Yes: People, Practices, and the Paradox of Multicultural Democracy / Catherine Frost 4. Feminist Engagement with Federal Institutions: Opportunities and Constraints for Women’s Multilevel Citizenship / Louise Chappell Part 2: Reconceiving Representation through Citizenship and Community 5. Sharing the River: Aboriginal Representation in Canadian Political Institutions / Melissa S. Williams 6. The Self-Government of Unbounded Communities: Emancipatory Minority Autonomy in China and Western Europe / Susan J. Henders 7. What Do Citizens Need to Share? Citizenship as Reasonableness / Jonathan Quong Part 3: Pluralist, Deliberative, and Participatory Challenges to Representation 8. The New Constitutionalism and the Polarizing Performance of the Canadian Conversation / Gerald Kernerman 9. Demanding Deliberative Democracy and Representation / Greg Pyrcz 10. What Can Democratic Participation Mean Today? / Mark E. Warren 11. Representing Pluralism: A Comment on Pyrcz, Warren, and Kernerman / Simone Chambers Conclusion References Notes on Contributors Index

Be the first to know

Get the latest updates on new releases, special offers, and media highlights when you subscribe to our email lists!

Sign up here for updates about the Press