Essay About Political Values And Actual People

Soc 335 – Study Guide
Democracy: What happens when a word synonymous with a range of possibly contradictory, political values?DI: what makes up democracy?Democracy: has various different meanings/perspectivesRather than starting with abstract ideas, politics can be best understood as a process by which actual people, over time, advocated their own interests in relation to an existing (perceived distribution of power)Collective action: therefore the driver political change → therefore democracyRelies on ideals/concepts that express common goalPolitical terms (ex. democracy) are political/theoreticalDemocracy = paradoxTo study CA: we can observe what people do/we can interpret the signs of signs/symbols people use to make sense of what they doBill: C-51sOfficial democracyFormal system, all complaints should be addressed to MPCanadian DemocracyCitizenship test + Civics textbooksConstituted by laws, defined by legal rights/obligationsDemocracy from belowMore expansive idea of self-government based on popular power in all areas of lifeChomsky: scepticism about any form of authority domination/submissionNot free of all problems but always asking is there a more inclusive way to address problemsAthenian democracy: no idealAims for deeper levels of freedom/equality/self-determinationEmbraces the questioning of existing social relationsMaking DemocracyNeither framework exists without the otherThe elaboration of each framework is always in process, and present when democratic ideals are invokedThese debates always have long historiesEx. The Arab Spring did not come from nowhereDebates over democracy are always politicalCameron: the Libyan people cannot reach democratic future on their ownLanguage of democracy frames modern politicsWhat is Politics?Aristotle: humans are political animals, people inherently need to live together → think about how to do this → common goodMachiavelli: politics is a competition for powerMosca: politics is a natural process of elite ruleEarly science of politics: elite groups always form out of larger groupsWeberPolitics = changes in the political associations organized around legitimate authorityDemocracy: language of legitimacyWeber studies emergence of modern democratic statesInterested in why people do thingsWhy people allowed themselves be ruled/follow lawsWhat makes political institutions legitimateAuthorityTraditional authorityHabitual conformity based on sanctity of ancient ancestors (Catholic schools)Charismatic authority: Devotion/obedience based on the grace/heroism/personal characteristics (Justin Trudeau)Legal-rational authorityConformity based on validity of rational rules, modern stateModern Relies on a combination of these types of authorityWhile the combinations of these types may vary, function of modern state is to organize authorityAs states grew in size and complexity, a new notion of politics emerged: politics became a covationWeber2 ways a person can make politics a vocation: life for/off politicsHow this plays in contemporary democratic state (CanadaHow this shapes official democracy vs. democracy from below in Canada?Lecture 3Traditional Democratic TheoryFrom Athens to Enlightment Changes to European Society During the enlightenmentShifting emphasis towards natural laws vs. divine law (Newton)Questioning the divine power of royalty/church (Hobbes)Questioning nature of social/political systems (Voltaire)Emergence of a new merchant class that challenged the existing systems of authority (Smith)PaintingsChange, progress, moving forwardClassical imagery2 phases of liberal democracy (Macpherson)Post-war waves of liberal/social democracyRise of liberal state 1650s-1850sDemocratization of the liberal state 1850s-Reoccurring waves of Social DemocracyThe challenge of Socialist RevolutionPostwar waves of liberal/social democracyPostwar consensus (1940s-1950s) democracy vs. totalitarianismCivil rights era: 1950s – 1970s, social inequalityDemocracy and ColonialismExploitation of uncharted areas of the worldWorld System TheoryCore societies dominate/exploit societies on the peripheryPeriphery societies provide resources and labour This creates a dynamic social relationship that produces profit in the core/dependency in the peripheryHistoryDeveloped over time as integration of economic/political/tech processesEffected core/periphery societies (economically/politically)Contemporary economic/political conditions → product of long historyWallerstein: history is always a construction of the present. We should always question given historical narratives Narrative example: Modernization TheoryVery popular postwar theory of developmentAssumed natural laws of economic political modernizationRostow’s 5 stages of economic developmentTraditional societyPreconditions to take-offTake-offDrive to maturityAge of high mass consumption