Democracy despite Itself – a book by Yale-NUS faculty
Assistant Professor of Social Sciences Benjamin Schupmann’s book offers novel solutions to protect liberal democracies against anti-democratic actors
Yale-NUS Assistant Professor of Social Sciences (Philosophy, Politics, and Economics) Benjamin Schupmann published his second book, Democracy despite Itself: Liberal Constitutionalism and Militant Democracy (Oxford University Press, 2024) in May 2024. Informed by recent events such as the rise of anti-democratic populism and democratic backsliding, the book weaves together the theories of political philosophers John Rawls and Carl Schmitt, culminating in a novel response to these modern threats to democracy. It suggests that militant democracy is a viable – and justifiable – mechanism for democracy’s self-defence.
Reflecting on the beginnings of Democracy despite Itself, Asst Prof Schupmann shared that the main topic grew out of the conclusion of his first book, Carl Schmitt’s State and Constitutional Theory: A Critical Analysis (Oxford University Press, 2017). The book analyses the way in which Carl Schmitt formulated this theory in response to the crises faced by the Weimar state (present-day Germany) from the late 1920s to early 1930s. While working on this, Asst Prof Schupmann began to notice parallels between the tactics of the anti-democrats in the Weimar state and the extremist populists of today. This inspired him to build on Schmitt’s framework to analyse modern threats to democracy.
Asst Prof Schupmann with his newly published book, Democracy despite Itself. Image provided by Benjamin Schupmann.
Asst Prof Schupmann’s work on Democracy despite Itself was aided and enriched by the elective modules he taught at Yale-NUS College, including Populism, Continental Political Theory, Democratic Theory, and State Theory. He shared, “I try to use my classes to think through issues related to my research with my students. For example, I used the Populism module to work through and problematise populism today, in order to set up the issue that my book aims to address and resolve.” Asst Prof Schupmann also noted that the discussions in the classroom and during office hours helped him further polish and sharpen the ideas he included in the book. “Writing this book really defined my time at Yale-NUS College,” he reflected. “So, in a way, it’s fitting that it is finishing up as we head into the College’s final year of operation.”
There are two goals that Asst Prof Schupmann hopes to achieve with the publication of Democracy despite Itself. The first is to present a justification for militant democracy as democracy’s self-defence mechanism, challenging the common perception of this mechanism as undemocratic. Asst Prof Schupmann argues that while the two main components of militant democracy (unamendability and political rights restrictions) may appear undemocratic, they are nevertheless already present in many democratic constitutions, and are perhaps the most effective way to block anti-democratic extremists from “cannibalising” democracy. “I hope to demonstrate that mechanisms of militant democracy are in fact democratic, and that future democratic constitutions ought to have those mechanisms written into them,” Asst Prof Schupmann said.
Asst Prof Schupmann moderating a lecture at the Tan Chin Tuan Lecture Theatre. Image provided by Benjamin Schupmann.
The second goal of publication is to convince democrats that militant democracy is compatible with democracy, and that they should be more confident in employing it as a defence mechanism. “I hope to persuade democrats that certain goals–laws and candidates–are beyond the pale, and that measures to prevent them may be used,” Asst Prof Schupmann added.
Sharing his future plans, Asst Prof Schupmann said that he would be focusing on an article about Otto Kirchheimer, a Frankfurt School jurist, and how his ideas can aid in understanding the legitimacy and limits of using militant democracy in modern political contexts. He will also be researching about other German jurists and political scientists from the Weimar period. On his continued interest in militant democracy, Asst Prof Schupmann said: “I expect that militant democracy will remain topical and I will continue writing about it for the near term.”
