Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin - Integrative Research Institute Law & Society (LSI)

The idea and ideal of popular sovereignty, which has served to ground the liberal democratic order and to legitimize power in the modern world, has come under increasing pressure in recent decades. On the one hand, the rise of populism, often illiberal or authoritarian, has undermined minority rights, individual autonomy, and the rule of law. On the other, the expansion of international institutions and greater reliance on market and non-governmental organizations have gradually insulated large areas of policymaking from democratic contestation and popular control. Together, these developments cast doubt on the viability and the very coherence of liberal democracy as a constitutional model.

When the People Rule: Popular Sovereignty in Theory and Practice (Cambridge University Press, 2023), a new interdisciplinary volume co-edited by Ewa Atanassow (Bard College, Berlin), Thomas Bartscherer (Bard College, New York), and David Bateman (Cornell University, New York), proposes that comprehending the political crises of our time requires a radical rethinking of popular sovereignty, and that ensuring the prospects for government that is both genuinely democratic and committedly liberal is best accomplished through a renewed understanding – and reaffirmation – of that principle.

This event brings together an international panel of scholars from a variety of perspectives to discuss and scrutinize the central theses of the volume in conversation with the volume’s editors Ewa Atanassow and Thomas Bartscherer. Participants include Anna-Bettina Kaiser (Humboldt Universität zu Berlin), Dieter Grimm (Wissenschaftskolleg zu Berlin), Berit Ebert (Bard College Berlin) and Roni Mann (Barenboim-Said Academy). The discussion will be moderated by Ira Katznelson (Columbia University). 

The event ist part of the series LSI Berlin Book Launch.