The Down-Deep Delight of Democracy

Reviews / Votes

"Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-divisionundergraduate and graduate collections." (Choice, 1 December 2013) "You can't help but pick up a copy of TheDown-Deep Delight of Democracy (DDDD) by Mark Purcell. Thetexture of its title - quadruple 'D' - andthe promise of delight are irresistible. Its timely focus ondemocracy and the potential we have to become (more)democratic have much to offer critical geography. The idea thatdemocratic futures can be grown from present democratic strugglesand that as scholars we might contribute to this growth byrecognizing and valuing them is especially important for futureresearch agendas ... Purcell's point is that peopleare finding their democratic strength in the world... DDDD is a great start toward an examination of democraticpossibilities." (Antipode, 1 October 2013) 'This is an exceptional book. It is dense, closelyreasoned, scholarly, indispensable as a reference, yet impassionedand oriented to practical political activity. It traces the historyof democracy, its evolution in philosophy and in practice, andviews democracy as a never-ending process, building on what exists,ever moving to what could be. It is a provocation both to thoughtand to action, aimed both at educators and Occupyactivists.'--Peter Marcuse, Professor Emeritus ofUrban Planning, Columbia University 'Mark Purcell criticizes neoliberals and neo-Keynsiansalike as supporting oligarchy. He establishes democracy as atranscendent goal--but one that is a process always in a stateof becoming, not an end point. Whether or not one agrees with himon the supremacy of democracy above all other ends, his views arechallenging and enlightening.'--Susan S.Fainstein, Harvard University Graduate School of Design,USA