Abstract
How should the ‘liberal democratic mainstream’ be fortified (or recovered) so that its members can consolidate to defeat anti-democrats? I argue for a value-pluralistic orientation to liberal democratic politics that accomodates not just the good of conflict (championed by ‘democratic agonists’), but also the good of unity. This approach, I show, accommodates various forms of contestation, but also recognizes the need to purposefully cultivate unity, and thus can be said to balance a ‘tragic ethos’ with a ‘progressive patriotic ethos’: the former encourages citizens to become more vigilant in the struggle against oppression, and the latter, to share in a sense of unity and to honour liberal democracy’s vital role in preventing tyranny. Such an approach would surely not be free of tension. However, I argue that it can help liberal democrats indeed consolidate and practice ‘fugitive antagonism’ against the enemies of liberal democracy when necessary. I advance my thesis by engaging in a critical conversation with the democratic agonistic tradition, paying special attention to Chantal Mouffe, William Connolly, and Steven Johnston’s visions of democratic politics. Contemporary Political Theory (2023). https://doi.org/10.1057/s41296-022-00604-2
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Acknowledgements
Previous iterations of this article were presented at the American Political Science Association and Northeastern Political Science Association Annual Meetings. I would like to thank Stephanie Ahrens, Elizabeth Coughlan, Kevin Elliott, Paul Ludwig, Gerald Mara, Stephen Macedo, Nadia Urbinati, and my two anonymous reviewers for their helpful comments and questions.
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Cheng, E. In defense of tempered progressive patriotism. Contemp Polit Theory 22, 330–352 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1057/s41296-022-00604-2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/s41296-022-00604-2