Reclaiming Liberal Democracy in the Postfactual Age
Description
Reclaiming Liberal Democracy in the Postfactual Age is a systematic exploration of the many ways in which post-truth politics constitutes a fundamental challenge and, indeed, an existential threat to liberal democracy as we know it.
The book addresses this existential threat by exploring the dynamic interplay of the various phenomena that constitute the post-truth condition, while also exploring possible responses aimed at reclaiming liberal democracy. The book's guiding assumption is that post-truth politics must be conceptualized as the ideal-typical endpoint of ongoing developments of liberal-democratic political culture. These developments are intimately connected to the ongoing transformation of the information environment, brought about by social/digital media and the recent rise of artificial intelligence. But they are also connected to the resurgence of populism and decreasing trust in once-trusted sources of information, in particular mainstream quality journalism, exacerbated by targeted disinformation campaigns at the hands of foreign powers.
Reviews / Votes
"These essays collectively make a compelling case that post-truth is the fundamental political problem of our times. Not just a philosophically interesting quirk. Definitely not just a new name for an age-old phenomenon. An existential threat to liberal democracy."
Ian MacMullen, University of Pennsylvania
"The essays here bring conceptual clarity, novel evidence and a renewed sense of urgency to today's illiberal onslaught. The heart of authoritarian populism beats with attacks on science, compromised legislatures, and an increasingly globalized autocracy. Where post-truth seeks to permanently disable a politics with informed civic participation, the volume gives us a path to democratic renewal through robust journalism, technological innovation that serves democracy, and better coordination for the common good."
Carl LeVan, American University, Washington, DC
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Persons
Maximilian Conrad is Professor of Political Science at the University of Iceland. His main research interests include European integration and political theory, in particular issues connected to democracy, communication, civil society, and the public sphere. Ongoing research includes work on disinformation and post-truth politics. Conrad was the Academic Coordinator for the EU-funded Horizon Europe project RECLAIM - Reclaiming Liberal Democracy in the Postfactual Age (2022-2025). Recent publications include the co-edited volumes Europe in the Age of Post-Truth Politics (Palgrave/Springer 2023) and Post-Truth Populism: A New Political Paradigm (Palgrave/Springer 2024). Conrad is currently also one of three editors of the journal Scandinavian Political Studies.
Saul Newman is Professor of Politics at Goldsmiths University of London. His research is in the area of contemporary political and democratic theory, including topics such radical political thought, political theology, populism, and post-truth politics. He was a researcher on EU-funded Horizon Europe project RECLAIM - Reclaiming Liberal Democracy in the Postfactual Age (2022-2025). Recent books include: Order, Crisis and Redemption: Political Theology after Schmitt (with Peter Langford) (SUNY Press, 2022), The Anarchist Before the Law: Law without Authority (with Massimo La Torre) (Edinburgh University Press, 2024), and Post-Truth Populism: a New Political Paradigm (with Maximilian Conrad eds.) (Palgrave Springer, 2024).