Home

Giulia Sissa, University of California, Los Angeles, sissa@polisci.ucla.edu 

In the history of western political thought, representation has been seen as the defining characteristic of modern states, be they republics or constitutional monarchies. It stands in contrast to both despotism and tyranny on the one hand, and direct self-rule of the kind associated with ancient Greek democracy on the other. Representation became crucial in mixed constitutions, such as the Roman Republic, the model of so many states, including the United States of America. The invention, and desirability, of representation, as something which allowed the people to participate in government, while limiting their alleged potential for disruption, and propensity for mob rule or populism, has always been an intensely discussed turning point in our political memory.

We encourage contributions that revisit and question those arguments, in all relevant texts and contexts. Here are a few generative suggestions:

How direct was democracy in ancient societies, and in ancient political philosophy? How popular can a complex state be? How crucial are elections, for the formation of elites and the fostering of political activity in civil society? How do they offer an ethical challenge, engage shared knowledge, and fashion social emotions? How can the tradition of republicanism be seen as an intellectual history of representation?

Why and when elections came to appear preferable to the random selection of magistrates, or to collective deliberation in general assemblies? We welcome panels and papers about those debates in ancient philosophy, and their reception in medieval, modern and contemporary political theory.  This is particularly relevant in the history of American politics.

What is the state of the question on representation, within theories of liberal democracy, social democracy, general will, social contract, stateless and classless society, community, political parties, trade unions, activism in civil society? Is representation a permanent matter of dispute in religious institutions, western and non-western? How does it, and how should it, function in new multi-state experiments, such as the European Union? An anthropological, comparative, approach to diverse traditions of political thought would also be most interesting.

How do theories of representation, past and present, affect theories of democracy, and of democratization? Where is contemporary democratic theory going? Different visions of representation are at stake in a number of key arguments about participation, advocacy, democratic method, democratic quality, competing claims, community, citizenship national and global, policies regarding underrepresented groups, the rule of the majority and the rights of the minorities, gender and race. We welcome discussions on how we bring theories of justice and normative commitments to bear on all the challenges of contemporary politics.