Paradoxes of Liberal Democracy (ebook)

Argumento de Paradoxes of Liberal Democracy (ebook)

One of Choice's Outstanding Academic Titles for 2015

"This fascinating book addresses a fundamental problem of immense importance for current social and political life in a functioning Western democracy. Starting from the cartoon crisis that highlighted the clash of democratic values and Muslim fundamentalism, the authors employ a rich combination of qualitative and survey research methods to examine the responses of Danes that puzzled observers. . . . This study, rich in empirical evidence on the Danish example, provides insight into how other Western democracies could learn to better relations with immigrant minorities in their countries."--Choice

"Taking its starting point from the infamous Danish cartoon crisis and the clash of democratic values and Muslim fundamentalism that followed, this engagingly written, methodologically sophisticated, and creative study of public opinion adds substantially to a growing body of research into this 'clash of civilizations'. The views of the Danish majority, far from scapegoating and vilifying the Muslim minority, distinguished carefully and intelligently between upholding the rights of this minority to live as Danish citizens while at the same time restricting freedoms for those associated with the threat of fundamentalist violence. This superb analysis of the nuances of public morality convincingly eschews simple answers to important and complex questions."--Geoffrey Evans, University of Oxford

"The paradox of liberal democracy is that, at the height of the Danish cartoon controversy, the Danes did not launch a broadside attack against the civil liberties of their Muslim minority. The pages of this book bring that paradox alive with compelling theoretical and methodological arguments. This is a splendid work of scholarship."--James L. Gibson, Washington University in St. Louis

"This tremendously interesting and highly relevant book has an encouraging message: Danish citizens stood behind the civil liberties of Muslims even at the height of the Danish cartoon crisis. It shows that what common sense expected to happen--a backlash--did not happen, and then explains why with a straightforwardness and immediacy that are rare for an academic text."--Hanspeter Kriesi, European University Institute

"Paradoxes of Democracy is a rich and provocative study of the political dynamics that arise when cultures clash. This study of the tensions over the publication of political cartoons about Mohammed in the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten will enrich our understanding of the interaction of elite actions and public opinion when tolerance is tested."--Russell Dalton, University of California, Irvine

"This timely and important book establishes the inherent tolerance of the Danes at a time when opinions should have been most likely to spill over into hostility. It will be widely cited and probably controversial, as the news today continues to focus on the intolerance in Denmark for Muslims. Paradoxes of Liberal Democracy is a pleasure to read."--Holli A. Semetko, Emory University

"The book’s perspective is enticing, not to say timely. . . . The book’s effort to overcome the clash of values between Islam and the West is quite laudable."--Jocelyne Cesari, Journal of Church and State

Paul M. Sniderman is the Fairleigh S. Dickinson Jr. Professor of Public Policy at Stanford University and a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Michael Bang Petersen, Rune Slothuus, and Rune Stubager are professors of political science at Aarhus University in Denmark.

"The analysis presented in this book is structured well, clearly organized and argued, and deeply rooted in survey and experimental empirical data. The authors build a persuasive argument out of relatively basic but solid quantitative evidence, and thus the book should be an accessible read at either the undergraduate or graduate level."--Kelley Strawn, American Journal of Sociology0List of Illustrations ix
Preface xiii
Chapter 1 Introduction 1
Chapter 2 A Clash of Rights 10
Chapter 3 The Covenant Paradox 52
Chapter 4 Flash Point: The Ideological Bases of Anti-immigration Politics 82
Chapter 5 The Concept of Inclusive Tolerance 117
Chapter 6 The Democratic Impulse 141
Appendix A Timeline of the Cartoon Crisis 155
Appendix B Description of the Main Data Set 157
Appendix C Comparison of Respondents from the Height and Aftermath of the Crisis 159
Appendix D Scaling and Measurement of Core Variables 163
References 167
Index 177