Liberal Disorder, States of Exception, and Populist Politics

The liberal order is facing a crisis due to various factors, including emergency powers, technological innovations, and authoritarian and populist forces. This book provides a synoptic perspective to understand the crisis and its implications for democratic values and norms.

Format: Hardback
Length: 228 pages
Publication date: 31 December 2020
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

The liberal democratic order faces a profound and multifaceted crisis that demands urgent attention. Over the past decade, liberal democracy has been subjected to a relentless onslaught of challenges, presenting a complex and evolving landscape. In this comprehensive volume, we explore the root causes and diverse manifestations of this crisis, shedding light on the urgent need for concerted action.

The pressures on liberal democracy have arisen from various unexpected directions. Governments have increasingly resorted to extraordinary emergency powers, undermining the rule of law and democratic processes. The interplay between new technologies and public power has raised concerns about the potential threats to democratic values and norms. Moreover, authoritarian and populist forces have emerged, propagating anti-pluralist agendas that challenge the very foundations of liberal democracy.

To understand the complexities of this crisis, we adopt a synoptic perspective that centers on liberal disorder. This approach allows us to examine the historical roots, theoretical frameworks, and practical implications of states of exception, emergency powers, and their connections with technological innovations. By drawing on a wide range of sources, including historical studies, conceptual analyses, and empirical research, we weave together a comprehensive historical and conceptual framework for understanding the major contemporary political currents.

The contributions in this book offer valuable insights into the state of liberal democracy and its challenges. They explore the historical roots of states of exception, examining how they have been used to justify authoritarianism and undermine democratic norms. They also examine the relationship between emergency powers and technological innovations, highlighting the potential risks and benefits of these developments. Moreover, the book delves into the tension-ridden relationship between populism and democracy, exploring the ideological, theoretical, and practical implications of these forces.

This volume will appeal to scholars and students from a diverse range of disciplines in the humanities and social sciences. History, political science, philosophy, constitutional and international law, sociology, cultural studies, anthropology, and economics are just a few of the fields that will find this book invaluable. By examining the crisis of liberal democracy from multiple perspectives, we hope to inspire a deeper understanding of the challenges we face and the actions we must take to secure a more resilient and inclusive democratic future.

Weight: 518g
Dimension: 241 x 161 x 22 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780367425234