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
‍Dark Money: The Hidden History of the Billionaires Behind the Rise of the Radical Right

American investigative journalist Jane Mayer writes about a network of extremely wealthy conservative Republicans, foremost among them Charles and David Koch.

Democracy Journey
#1 - The Short Story of Democracy’s Demise

Democracy is all about equality in political power. But this doesn’t work for everybody.

Video
Suppressed: The Fight to Vote

By Robert Greenwald (2019), this documentary paints an undeniable picture of voter suppression in the 2018 midterm election in the state of Georgia