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Challenges to Democracy in the Anthropocene

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International Relations in the Anthropocene

Abstract

Life in the Anthropocene entails moving beyond Holocene institutions, modes of thought, or policy options—a radical transformation that is riddled with political contestation and struggle. As societies experience on-going ecological emergencies and try to adapt to swiftly changing physical conditions, some important political questions arise about what kind of transformations should be sought after, what policies and practices would achieve these transformations, and who participates in making these decisions. This also means reconsidering conceptions of power, justice, and democracy, the last one of which is the subject of this chapter. In doing so, this chapter recaptures the earlier International Relations (IR) debates on democracy, discusses new challenges to democracy, and finally provides suggestion for reimagining democracy in the context of the Anthropocene.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Political Science, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden

    Ayşem Mert

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  1. Ayşem Mert
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Correspondence to Ayşem Mert .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Politics and International Relations, University of Westminster, London, UK

    David Chandler

  2. Department of Social Sciences, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany

    Franziska Müller

  3. Institute for Peace Research and Security Policy, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany

    Delf Rothe

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Mert, A. (2021). Challenges to Democracy in the Anthropocene. In: Chandler, D., Müller, F., Rothe, D. (eds) International Relations in the Anthropocene. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-53014-3_16

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