Historical Dictionary of Democracy

Norman Abjorensen

Democracy is easy to talk about but hard to define in other than broad generalizations; its history is a long, complex, and contested subject. What this volume seeks to do is to explore the general evolution of political and social thinking that would eventually coalesce into what we now know as democracy, for all its imperfections and shortcomings. The question of just why some societies evolved into a democratic trajectory and others did not continues to engage the interest of historians, political scientists, sociologists, and anthropologists. Much conjecture surrounds the rise of certain elements we now recognize if not as democratic, then proto-democratic, such as collective decision-making, constraints on the exercise of power and a degree of accountability of the ruler to the ruled. If democracy in the sense of “rule by the people” has two essential qualities – rule by the majority and the equal treatment of free citizens - then its origins, however feeble, are to be found in these early examples of government.

Historical Dictionary of Democracy contains a chronology, an introduction, a glossary, and an extensive bibliography. The dictionary section has over 600 cross-referenced entries. This book is an excellent resource for students, researchers, and anyone wanting to know more about democracy.

Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

Pages: 550 • Trim: 6¼ x 9

978-1-5381-2073-6 • Hardback • June 2019 • $153.00 • (£119.00)

978-1-5381-2074-3 • eBook • June 2019 • $145.00 • (£112.00)

Series: Historical Dictionaries of Religions, Philosophies, and Movements Series

Subjects: Political Science / Political Ideologies / Democracy, Reference / Dictionaries

Historical Dictionary of Democracy

Hardback

eBook

Summary

Democracy is easy to talk about but hard to define in other than broad generalizations; its history is a long, complex, and contested subject. What this volume seeks to do is to explore the general evolution of political and social thinking that would eventually coalesce into what we now know as democracy, for all its imperfections and shortcomings. The question of just why some societies evolved into a democratic trajectory and others did not continues to engage the interest of historians, political scientists, sociologists, and anthropologists. Much conjecture surrounds the rise of certain elements we now recognize if not as democratic, then proto-democratic, such as collective decision-making, constraints on the exercise of power and a degree of accountability of the ruler to the ruled. If democracy in the sense of “rule by the people” has two essential qualities – rule by the majority and the equal treatment of free citizens - then its origins, however feeble, are to be found in these early examples of government.

Historical Dictionary of Democracy contains a chronology, an introduction, a glossary, and an extensive bibliography. The dictionary section has over 600 cross-referenced entries. This book is an excellent resource for students, researchers, and anyone wanting to know more about democracy.

Details

Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

Pages: 550 • Trim: 6¼ x 9

978-1-5381-2073-6 • Hardback • June 2019 • $153.00 • (£119.00)

978-1-5381-2074-3 • eBook • June 2019 • $145.00 • (£112.00)

Series: Historical Dictionaries of Religions, Philosophies, and Movements Series

Subjects: Political Science / Political Ideologies / Democracy, Reference / Dictionaries

Author

Norman Abjorensen is a political historian who formerly taught at The Australian National University, Canberra. He has also taught at universities in Japan, the People’s Republic of China, and the Philippines, and for several years has contributed to the Varieties of Democracy project at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, as a country expert. He is co-author (with James Docherty) of the Historical Dictionary of Australia (4th ed.), and the author of several books on Australian politics, including an assessment of democracy and a study of the Australian prime ministership.

Table of Contents

Editor’s Foreword

Preface

Acknowledgments

Acronyms and Abbreviations

Chronology

Introduction

THE DICTIONARY

Glossary

Bibliography

About the Author

Reviews

Determining what terminology to exclude and what time periods to cover must be exacerbating, yet Abjorensen took up these challenges with great aplomb to create an extraordinary historical dictionary. Beginning with a list of abbreviations and a chronology, and ending with a glossary plus a detailed, 87-page bibliography index, this dictionary does not disappoint. In the introduction, Abjorensen, a political historian and country expert in the V-dem project at the University of Gothenburg, acknowledges that there is no specific origin of democracy, although archaeological evidence from fragments suggest some structured governance to protect citizen’s rights through Hammurabi’s Code. The text of the book provides 640 entries plus see also references and cross-referencing. People, places, and movements are included as well as terminology, ensuring that a global perspective of democracy is represented. This book is recommended for all readers interested in the evolution of democracy.

Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through faculty.
— Choice Reviews

Historical Dictionary of Democracy

Norman Abjorensen

Historical Dictionary of Democracy

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