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Abstract
This dissertation examines the political thought of Sheldon Wolin. Perceiving a crisis of technocratic liberalism in the postwar period, Wolin develops a critique of modernity that emphasizes the loss both of political vision and of local cultures and traditions. His subsequent radical democratic theory identifies a contrapuntal American tradition of local self-governance that he continually fears is being lost. I argue that this approach to democracy offers important insights into recent crises of liberalism by attending to narratives of loss that have largely been harnessed by right-wing populism. At the same time, however, Wolin’s tendency to focus on loss means that he often downplays the persistence of white and male supremacist nationalism and the value of modern rights and institutions. The dissertation interrogates the troubling aspects of Wolin’s approach through engagements with other postwar critics of liberalism, contemporary theorists of democracy, and critical race theorists. It argues that, although Wolin’s understanding of tradition remains too monolithic, he ultimately develops a more complex, “polymorphous” understanding of democracy that combines traditional with transgressive and state-centric elements. The dissertation concludes by examining Wolin’s efforts to reconcile his understanding of political theory with his broader notion of political education.
