What is Democracy

(2018) - Coming at a moment of profound political and social crisis, What Is Democracy? reflects on a word we too often take for granted. Director Astra Taylor’s idiosyncratic, philosophical journey spans millennia and continents: from ancient Athens’ groundbreaking experiment in self-government to capitalism’s roots in medieval Italy; from modern-day Greece grappling with financial collapse and a mounting refugee crisis to the United States reckoning with its racist past and the growing gap between rich and poor. Featuring a diverse cast—including celebrated theorists, trauma surgeons, activists, factory workers, asylum seekers, and former prime ministers—this urgent film connects the past and the present, the emotional and the intellectual, the personal and the political, in order to provoke and inspire. If we want to live in democracy, we must first ask what the word even means.

Rent or buy the full film here.

Related posts
Books
‍You're More Powerful Than You Think: A Citizen's Guide to Making Change Happen

Eric Liu lays out the strategies of reform and revolution to help every reader make sense of our world today.

Books
How Democracies Die

Written by Daniel Ziblatt and Steven Levitsky, this book shows how democracies die—and how ours can be saved.

Books
‍Democracy in Chains: The Deep History of the Radical Right's Stealth Plan for American

Written by Nancy MacLean, this book is an explosive exposé of the right's relentless campaign to eliminate unions, suppress voting, privatize public education, and change the Constitution.