Politics against Domination

Abstract

Ian Shapiro makes a compelling case that the purpose of politics should be to combat domination, and he shows what this means in practice at home and abroad. This is a major work of applied political theory, a profound challenge to utopian visions, and a guide to fundamental problems of justice and distribution. Shapiro builds his case from the ground up, but he also spells out its implications for pressing debates about electoral systems, independent courts, money in politics, minimum wages, and the vulnerabilities of minorities. He takes up debates over international institutions and world government, intervention to prevent genocide and ethnic cleansing, and the challenges of fostering democracy abroad. Brutally realistic but also inspiring, Shapiro gleans insights from the battle against slavery, the creation of modern welfare states, civil rights, Occupy Wall Street, the Tea Party, the worldwide campaign against sweatshops, and other sources to explain how effective coalitions work and how to press them into the service of combating domination. Politics against Domination ranges over political science, psychology, economics, history, sociology, and law. It will be of interest to veterans of political theory, but Shapiro's lucid and penetrating style makes it readily accessible to newcomers as well.