{"title":"Craig Calhoun","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCraig Calhoun\u003c\/strong\u003e explores the intricate intersections of politics, society, and philosophy with a keen analytical eye. His works critically examine the foundations and challenges of modern democracy, offering thoughtful perspectives on social change and public discourse.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eReaders can expect rigorous scholarship that engages with contemporary political theory and the philosophical underpinnings of social life. Calhoun’s writing appeals to those interested in deepening their understanding of political structures, democratic theory, and the role of religion in social thought.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"habermas-and-religion-by-eduardo-mendieta-9780745653273","title":"Habermas and Religion","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTo the surprise of many readers, Jürgen Habermas has recently made religion a major theme of his work. Emphasizing both religion's prominence in the contemporary public sphere and its potential contributions to critical thought, Habermas's engagement with religion has been controversial and exciting, putting much of his own work in fresh perspective and engaging key themes in philosophy, politics and social theory.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eHabermas argues that the once widely accepted hypothesis of progressive secularisation fails to account for the multiple trajectories of modernisation in the contemporary world. He calls attention to the contemporary significance of \"postmetaphysical\" thought and \"postsecular\" consciousness—even in Western societies that have embraced a rationalistic understanding of public reason.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eHabermas and Religion\u003c\/i\u003e presents a series of original and sustained engagements with Habermas's writing on religion in the public sphere, featuring new work and critical reflections from leading philosophers, social and political theorists, and anthropologists. Contributors to the volume respond both to Habermas's ambitious and well-developed philosophical project and to his most recent work on religion. The book closes with an extended response from Habermas—itself a major statement from one of today's most important thinkers.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Unknown","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47000629870828,"sku":"9780745653273","price":47.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/12889863482453.jpg?v=1763291469"},{"product_id":"degenerations-of-democracy-by-dilip-parameshwar-gaonkar-9780674237582","title":"Degenerations of Democracy","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThree leading thinkers analyze the erosion of democracy's social foundations and call for a movement to reduce inequality, strengthen inclusive solidarity, empower citizens, and reclaim pursuit of the public good.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eDemocracy is in trouble. Populism is a common scapegoat but not the root cause. More basic are social and economic transformations eroding the foundations of democracy, ruling elites trying to lock in their own privilege, and cultural perversions like making individualistic freedom the enemy of democracy's other crucial ideals of equality and solidarity. In \u003cem\u003eDegenerations of Democracy\u003c\/em\u003e three of our most prominent intellectuals investigate democracy gone awry, locate our points of fracture, and suggest paths to democratic renewal.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn Charles Taylor's phrase, democracy is a process, not an end state. Taylor documents creeping disempowerment of citizens, failures of inclusion, and widespread efforts to suppress democratic participation, and he calls for renewing community. Craig Calhoun explores the impact of disruption, inequality, and transformation in democracy's social foundations. He reminds us that democracies depend on republican constitutions as well as popular will, and that solidarity and voice must be achieved at large scales as well as locally.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eTaylor and Calhoun together examine how ideals like meritocracy and authenticity have become problems for equality and solidarity, the need for stronger articulation of the idea of public good, and the challenges of thinking big without always thinking centralization.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eDilip Parameshwar Gaonkar points out that even well-designed institutions will not integrate everyone, and inequality and precarity make matters worse. He calls for democracies to be prepared for violence and disorder at their margins—and to treat them with justice, not oppression.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe authors call for bold action building on projects like Black Lives Matter and the Green New Deal. Policy is not enough to save democracy; it will take movements.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Unknown","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47424036012268,"sku":"9780674237582","price":59.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9780674237582.jpg?v=1774769367"}],"url":"https:\/\/bookhero.co.nz\/collections\/craig-calhoun.oembed","provider":"Book Hero","version":"1.0","type":"link"}