
Paradoxes of Liberal Democracy
Islam, Western Europe, and the Danish Cartoon Crisis
Princeton University Press
Will be published approx. on 8. November 2016
Book
Paperback/Softback
200 pages
978-0-691-17362-7 (ISBN)
Description
In 2005, twelve cartoons mocking the prophet Mohammed appeared in the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten, igniting a political firestorm over demands by some Muslims that the claims of their religious faith take precedence over freedom of expression. Given the explosive reaction from Middle Eastern governments, Muslim clerics, and some Danish politicians, the stage was set for a backlash against Muslims in Denmark. But no such backlash occurred. Paradoxes of Liberal Democracy shows how the majority of ordinary Danish citizens provided a solid wall of support for the rights of their country's growing Muslim minority, drawing a sharp distinction between Muslim immigrants and Islamic fundamentalists and supporting the civil rights of Muslim immigrants as fully as those of fellow Danes--for example, Christian fundamentalists. Building on randomized experiments conducted as part of large, nationally representative opinion surveys, Paradoxes of Liberal Democracy also demonstrates how the moral covenant underpinning the welfare state simultaneously promotes equal treatment for some Muslim immigrants and opens the door to discrimination against others.
Revealing the strength of Denmark's commitment to democratic values, Paradoxes of Liberal Democracy underlines the challenges of inclusion but offers hope to those seeking to reconcile the secular values of liberal democracy and the religious faith of Muslim immigrants in Europe.
Revealing the strength of Denmark's commitment to democratic values, Paradoxes of Liberal Democracy underlines the challenges of inclusion but offers hope to those seeking to reconcile the secular values of liberal democracy and the religious faith of Muslim immigrants in Europe.
Reviews / Votes
One of Choice's Outstanding Academic Titles for 2015 "This fascinating book addresses a fundamental problem of immense importance for current social and political life in a functioning Western democracy. Starting from the cartoon crisis that highlighted the clash of democratic values and Muslim fundamentalism, the authors employ a rich combination of qualitative and survey research methods to examine the responses of Danes that puzzled observers... This study, rich in empirical evidence on the Danish example, provides insight into how other Western democracies could learn to better relations with immigrant minorities in their countries."--Choice "The analysis presented in this book is structured well, clearly organized and argued, and deeply rooted in survey and experimental empirical data. The authors build a persuasive argument out of relatively basic but solid quantitative evidence, and thus the book should be an accessible read at either the undergraduate or graduate level."--Kelley Strawn, American Journal of Sociology "The book's perspective is enticing, not to say timely... The book's effort to overcome the clash of values between Islam and the West is quite laudable."--Jocelyne Cesari, Journal of Church and StateMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
New Jersey
United States
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Dimensions
Height: 234 mm
Width: 156 mm
Thickness: 12 mm
Weight
359 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-691-17362-7 (9780691173627)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

Paul M. Sniderman | Michael Bang Petersen | Rune Slothuus
Paradoxes of Liberal Democracy
Islam, Western Europe, and the Danish Cartoon Crisis
E-Book
07/2015
1st Edition
Princeton University Press
from
€63.99
Available for download
Persons
Paul M. Sniderman is the Fairleigh S. Dickinson Jr. Professor of Public Policy at Stanford University and a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Michael Bang Petersen, Rune Slothuus, and Rune Stubager are professors of political science at Aarhus University in Denmark.
Content
List of Illustrations ix Preface xiii Chapter 1 Introduction 1 Chapter 2 A Clash of Rights 10 Chapter 3 The Covenant Paradox 52 Chapter 4 Flash Point: The Ideological Bases of Anti-immigration Politics 82 Chapter 5 The Concept of Inclusive Tolerance 117 Chapter 6 The Democratic Impulse 141 Appendix A Timeline of the Cartoon Crisis 155 Appendix B Description of the Main Data Set 157 Appendix C Comparison of Respondents from the Height and Aftermath of the Crisis 159 Appendix D Scaling and Measurement of Core Variables 163 References 167 Index 177