DEMOCRACY AND SOLIDARITY by JAMES DAVISON HUNTER is a book that shows American democracy as something far from healthy, but not dead. And how, all, both the Left and the Right, are resorting to authoritarian tendencies to impose 'an artificial solidarity', as a correction.
The book is in four parts. It begins with an examination of the cultural crisis, a liberal democracy faces today, and its manifestation in USA. Part II probes into the social movements and efforts that went into the building of this nation, and the role played by 'intellectuals'. Part III dwells deeper, and traces the events and occurrences that keep America healthy as a lively and evolving syncretism. It looks into the events of the past to show how, culture is constantly modulating the path, politics chooses to follow. And lastly, Part IV remind us that this is not all. There is always something more than ideology and political warfare.
This book is more of an abstract discussion on topics like cultural and statistical roots of ideals, dehumanizing tendencies of late modern democracy, or a latent authoritarian impulse. Rather than focusing simply on the political, it traces the history of accusations and counter-accusations of election-rigging, voter fraud, and theft becoming a common factor in American state and statecraft for quite some time, attributing it to philosophical reasons like the influence of nihilism.
This will be a great help for those looking for a deeper insight into American politics, as well as for research. An exhaustive collection of notes and references makes the index too, a perfect fit for it.
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