When the People Rule
Popular Sovereignty in Theory and Practice

This volume reinvigorates the study of popular sovereignty in theory and practice, illuminating the meaning and future of liberal democracy.

Ewa Atanassow (Edited by), Thomas Bartscherer (Edited by), David A. Bateman (Edited by)

9781009263795, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 6 February 2025

412 pages
22.9 x 15.2 x 2.3 cm, 0.668 kg

'Who are The People? Should they rule? Can they? Do they? How? These are among the oldest and deepest questions in political theory. The answers offered by the erudite and provocative essays in this stellar collection set the terms for debating the most pressing issues facing democracy today.' Josiah Ober, Stanford University

In recent decades, popular sovereignty has come under increasing pressure. The rise of populism, often illiberal or authoritarian, has undermined minority rights, individual autonomy, and rule of law. The expansion of international institutions and greater reliance on market and non-governmental organizations have gradually insulated large areas of policymaking from public control. In turn, these developments cast doubt on the viability and desirability of liberal democracy itself. When the People Rule argues that comprehending and responding to the political crises of our time requires a radical refocusing on popular sovereignty. Each chapter offers a fresh perspective and opens new avenues of inquiry into popular sovereignty, advancing debate over the very heart of this principle - what it means for the people to rule. Thorough and timely, this volume is also available as Open Access on Cambridge Core.

Introduction Ewa Atanassow, Thomas Bartscherer and David Bateman
Part I. 1. Plato and the problems of modern politics Thomas Bartscherer
2. The sovereign and the tyrant: boundaries and violation in oedipus Elizabeth K. Markovits
3. The fact of fiction: Popular sovereignty as belief and reality Ioannis D. Evrigenis
4. Thomas hobbes and the making of popular sovereignty Richard Boyd
5. Popular sovereignty on trial: Tocqueville vs Schmitt Ewa Atanassow
Part II. 6. 'As god rules the universe': reflections on the people and the state in early America Ira Katznelson
7. The sovereign people and the liberal democratic state David A. Bateman
8. Three vignettes: popular sovereignty in French history Daniella Sarnoff
9. The founding of India and popular sovereignty Ornit Shani
10. The 'other' boundary problem: fictions of popular sovereignty at the state's edge Matthew Longo
11. The #BlackLivesMatter movement and black public opinion: a new populist divide in the black community? Alvin B. Tillery
12. Popular sovereignty and recognition H. Abbie Erler
13. Populism, popular sovereignty, and periphery Julia R. Azari and Alexis Nemecek
Part III. 14. The place of constitutional courts in regimes embracing popular sovereignty: recent problems in American Self-Governance Carol Nackenoff
15. Popular sovereignty, populism, and stories of peoplehood Rogers M. Smith
16. Popular Sovereignty in the Trump Era: a case study of pedagogy and practice Nicole Mellow and Andrew J. Perrin
17. The voices of the people Adam Davis.

Subject Areas: Comparative politics [JPB], Political science & theory [JPA], Politics & government [JP]