DEMOCRATIC THEORY AND PRACTICE IN DEEPLY DIVIDED SOCIETIES

Abstract

Political scientists have had a great deal to say about the prospects for democracy in deeply divided societies. Yet this article defends the view that political theorists also have a vital, if too often overlooked, role to play in terms of defining larger normative goals and purposes. To make this case, I focus specifically on the principle of political equality. Throughout, however, my guiding assumption is that normative prescriptions inevitably imply empirical questions.