The Shadow of Unfairness

Reviews / Votes

A strikingly original book, The Shadow of Unfairness confronts the structural injustice at the heart of liberal democracy with unusual honesty, and argues for a plebeian politics that is at once free of illusion and full of progressive potential. The book rings true even as it continually surprises. It's a distinctive and important contribution to democratic theory today. * Sharon Krause, Professor of Political Science, Brown University * In this timely and original challenge to liberal democrats, a first-class theorist gives eloquent voice to the indignation of second-class citizens. Like it or not, nearly all of us are plebeians now, Green contends. The plutocracy overtaking our democracy is inescapable- but not, he insists, irresistible. * Dennis F. Thompson, Professor of Political Philosophy, Harvard University * Here is democratic realism in a powerful, new, and discomfiting key. Green examines the felt experience of second-class citizenship and advocates for a theory of 'plebeian democracy.' Its defining elements are morally ambiguous and fall outside the thinking of traditional liberal democrats: indignation, reasonable envy, 'vulgarity', and demands for regulation and redress from the most advantaged. Steeped in historical analogues, Green charts an entirely original path toward the never entirely realizable promise of free and equal citizenship. * Nancy L. Rosenblum, Professor of Ethics in Politics and Government, Harvard University * A remarkable combination of theoretical rigor and lyricism...Green is among our most original political thinkers and this book, a wonderful rumination on the existential predicament of our shared 'plebeian' fate, is an essential and provocative contribution. * Aziz Rana, Professor of Law, Cornell Law School * Provocative, compelling, and sobering...Green's book bursts with theoretical insights into our present political condition.He has done a tremendous service by placing these concepts, categories, and responses on the agenda of democratic theory. * Contemporary Political Theory * A wonderful book, full of insight and erudition that most significantly reminds us that plutocracy is the real enemy. * Review of Politics *