Emergent Publics

An Essay on Social Movements and Democracy by Ian Angus

Recently much of the Left has shifted emphasis away from issues of class, toward “democracy.” Indeed, democracy is now emerging as an overarching label for the goals of anti-globalization activists. What is the relationship between such social movements and democracy?

In Emergent Publics, Ian Angus wrests the concept of democracy away from the notion that the citizen’s only real activity is voting, and argues for a radical and participatory model. This short and accessible book looks back to the roots of democratic institutions, showing how they originated in social movements and the new forms of communication and interaction within those movements.

Part of our Semaphore Series.

Subject Political Science/Political Ideologies/Democracy
Published February 2002
Price $10.95 CDN
Pages 102 pp (Paper)
Dimensions 5″ × 7″ × 0.25″
ISBN-10 1-894037-13-8
ISBN-13 9781894037136

Related Titles

  • The Party Without Bosses
  • Globalization, Neo-conservative Policies and Democratic Alternatives
  • The Red Indians
  • Love the Questions
  • Grammar Matters

About the Author

Ian Angus is professor of Humanities at Simon Fraser University. He has written or edited nine books on critical theory and political thought, including A Border Within: National Identity, Cultural Plurality, and Wilderness and Disfigurations: Discourse/Critique/Ethics. He lives in East Vancouver with his wife and daughter.

Visit Ian’s website

Also by Ian Angus