Schecter, Darrow (2005) Beyond hegemony: Toward a new philosophy of political legitimacy. Manchester University Press. ISBN 9780719060885

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Abstract

Since the Enlightenment, liberal democratic governments in Europe and North America have been compelled to secure the legitimacy of their authority by constructing rational states whose rationality is based on modern forms of law. The first serious challenge to liberal democratic practices of legal legitimacy comes in Marx's early writings on Rousseau and Hegel. In addition to examining Marx's critique of Kant, Hegel, and liberalism, Beyond Hegemony investigates the reasons for the authoritarianism and breakdown of state socialist governments in Russia and elsewhere claiming to put Marx's ideas on democracy and equality into practice. The book explains that although Marx's critique remains valid today, his ideas need to be supplemented by the contributions to social theory made by Nietzsche, Foucault, the critical theory of the Frankfurt School as well as the libertarian socialism of G.D.H. Cole. What emerges is a new theory of political legitimacy which indicates how it is possible to move beyond liberal democracy whilst avoiding the authoritarian turn of state socialism.

Item Type:	Book
Additional Information:	The book explains the weaknesses of the many extra-legal accounts of legitimacy now on offer, such as those based on friendship and identity. It goes on to argue that the first of two steps beyond hegemony depends on the discovery of legitimate forms of law (in contrast with legal forms of legitimacy), and demonstrates why the conditions of legitimate law can be identified as a prelude to the second step, which is enacting them in qualitatively new kinds of legislation.
Schools and Departments:	School of History, Art History and Philosophy > History
Subjects:	J Political Science > JA Political science (General) J Political Science > JC Political theory. The state. Theories of the state
Depositing User:	Darrow Schecter
Date Deposited:	06 Feb 2012 18:27
Last Modified:	26 Jul 2012 13:36
URI:	http://sro.sussex.ac.uk/id/eprint/16453

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