Democracy Among the Ruins

Catalog description

In 19th century US, certain kinds of motion/mobility were a new experience which, to some, meant freedom, and to others -- the end of meaning. Democracy was identified WITH speed, mobility, and destruction, specifically, the destruction of established public goods, social arrangements, traditions, laws of land inheritance, identities, and patterns of work. These day, these same things are identified with neoliberalism and are seen as threats to democracy, which is now often identified with slowness, deliberation, and procedure. In this seminar, we read two classic texts that explore these issues: Tocqueville's Democracy in America and Melville's Moby-Dick. Enrollment limited to 20 juniors and seniors.