In this book, David takes readers on a journey through the idea of democracy, provocatively reorienting our understanding of pivotal historical moments, and extracts their lessons for today—from the birth of Athenian democracy and the founding of the United States of America to the global revolutions of the twentieth century and the rise of a new generation of activists. Underlying it all is a bracing argument that in the face of increasingly concentrated wealth and power in this country, a reenergized, reconceived democracy—one based on consensus, equality, and broad participation—can yet provide us with the just, free, and fair society we want.
The Democracy Project
(Intended title: “As if We Were Free.”)
From their earliest meetings, activist David Graeber knew that the Occupy Wall Street movement was something different. From small beginnings its demonstrations spread across the world to cities like Cairo, Athens, Barcelona and London and gave a glimpse of a new way. This provocative look at the actions of the 99% asks: why was it so effective? What went right? And what can we all do now to make our world democratic once again? Both a treatise on power and protest and an energetic account of contemporary events, The Democracy Project will change the way you think about politics, and the world.
Democracy has been the American religion since before the Revolution—from New England town halls to the multicultural democracy of Atlantic pirate ships. But can our current political system, one that seems responsive only to the wealthiest among us and leaves most Americans feeling disengaged, voiceless, and disenfranchised, really be called democratic? And if the tools of our democracy are not working to solve the rising crises we face, how can we—average citizens—make change happen?
- The Beginning is Near
- Why Did It Work?
- “The Mob Begin to Think and to Reason”: The Covert History of Democracy
- How Change Happens
- Breaking the Spell
Arabic
Title: مشروع الديموقراطية: التاريخ، الأزمة، الحركة First Published: 2014 ISBN: 9789990604351 Publisher: National Council for Culture, Arts and Letters Translators:
Osama Al Ghazouli
Pages: 304Chinese (Traditional)
Title: 為什麼上街頭？新公民運動的歷史、危機和進程 First Published: 2014 ISBN: 9789862726075 Publisher: Cite Publishing Translators:
Shujun Tang
,Shangyuan Li
,Yaxin Chen
Pages: 293English
Title: The Democracy Project First Published: 2014 ISBN: 9780718195045 Publisher: Penguin Books Pages: 352
Title: The Democracy Project: A History, a Crisis, a Movement First Published: 2013 ISBN: 9780812993561 Publisher: Spiegel & Grau Pages: 352
French
Title: Comme si nous étions déjà libre First Published: 2014 ISBN: 9782895961802 Publisher: Lux Translators:
Alexie Doucet
Pages: 278Georgian
Title: დემოკრატიის პროექტი: ისტორია, კრიზისი, მოძრაობა First Published: 2014 ISBN: 9789941451621 Publisher: Radarami Translators:
Thea Margvelashvili
,Natia Menabde
Pages: 361German
Title: Inside Occupy First Published: 2012 ISBN: 9783593397191 Publisher: Campus Verlag Pages: 200
Greek
Title: Tο δημοκρατικο σχεδιο: η ιστορια, η κριση, το κινημα First Published: 2014 ISBN: 9789601427935 Publisher: Livanis Translators:
Angelos Philippatos
Pages: 368Italian
Title: Progetto democrazia. Un'idea, una crisi, un movimento First Published: 2014 ISBN: 9788842819769 Publisher: Il Saggiatore Translators:
Daniela Antongiovanni
,Marina Beretta
,Francesca Cosi
,Alessandra Repossi
Pages: 288Japanese
Title: デモクラシー・プロジェクト: オキュパイ運動・直接民主主義・集合 First Published: 2015 ISBN: 9784906738106 Publisher: Koshisha Translators:
Kinoshita Chigaya
,Egami Kenichiro
Pages: 365Korean
Title: 우리만 모르는 민주주의 First Published: 2015 ISBN: 9791186295120 Publisher: E Cheak Translators:
Jeong Ho-yeong
Pages: 328Portuguese
Title: Um projeto de democracia: Uma história, uma crise, um movimento First Published: 2015 ISBN: 9788577533411 Publisher: Paz e Terra Translators:
Ana Beatriz Teixeira
Pages: 208 Title: Projeto Democracia - Uma Ideia, Uma Crise, Um Movimento First Published: 2013 ISBN: 9789722351232 Publisher: Presença Pages: 304
Spanish
Title: Somos el 99% First Published: 2014 ISBN: 9788494287930 Publisher: Capitan Swing Libros Translators:
Esther Cruz
Pages: 304 Title: El estado contra la democracia First Published: 2021 ISBN: 9788417800963 Publisher: Errata Naturae Editores Translators:
David Muñoz Mateos
Pages: 144Turkish
Title: Demokrasi Projesi First Published: 2018 ISBN: 9786051852492 Publisher: Everest Translators:
Burak Esen
Pages: 294Review by Joseph Bottum on B&C
2013
Occupying Anarchism. The moral vanguard of change.
Books&Culture
Review by Danny Goldberg on the Nation
May 2013
The Anarchy Project
The Nation
Review by Fred Inglis on the Times Higher Education
Jun 2013
The Democracy Project by David Graeber.
"Rationality yields to sentimentality in an Occupy Wall Street-inspired call for direct action"
Review on the Publisher’s Weekly
~2013
The Democracy Project: A History, A Crisis, A Movement
Review by J.P. O’Malley on Publisher’s Weekly
18 Mar 2013
This is What Democracy Looks Like: David Graeber
Review on the Guardian by David Runciman
March 2013
The Democracy Project: a History, a Crisis, a Movement by David Graeber
Review on KIRKUS
9 Apr 2013
THE DEMOCRACY PROJECT
A HISTORY, A CRISIS, A MOVEMENT
Review by Kelefa Sanneh on the NewYorker
6 May 2013
Paint Bombs
David Graeber’s “The Democracy Project” and the anarchist revival.
Review by Niki Saval on the Dissent Magazine
2013
Cheerleaders for Anarchism
Review by Mathijs van de Sande on the Ephemera Journal
2014
‘Why did it work this time?’ David Graeber on Occupy Wall Street
Review by Brian S Roper (newsocialist.org)
Aug 2014
The Occupy Movement and Small-a Anarchism
Review by Dave Pollard on HowToSaveTheWorld
Apr 2013
How to Save The World
Review by Richard Pretorius on the NationalNews.com
Aug 2013
Book review: Democracy Project shows protest still important, but what's next?
https://www.thenationalnews.com
Review by Sam Halvorsen on Resilience
Oct 2013
Review: The Democracy Project
Review by Adam Morris on the LA Review of Books
14 Jul 2013
Democracy – What Is It Good For?
Ben Ehrenreich about “The Democracy Project”
Apr 2013
David Graeber looks at the Occupy movement, from the inside
Los Angeles Times
Bookmunch about “The Democracy Project”
Apr 2013
‘So urgent it should be taught in schools’ – The Democracy Project by David Graeber
Laurie Penny about “The Democracy Project”
Jun 2013
The Democracy Project by David Graeber: The textual life of Occupy lives on
A lot of bad books have been written about Occupy, too, and what saves this from being one of them is its perspective.
newstatesman.com
Jeremy Williams about “The Democracy Project”
May 2013
The Democracy Project, by David Graeber
Earthbound
https://earthbound.report
Dave Darby about “The Democracy Project”
Jul 2013
How to answer the question: ‘if you don’t like this system, what do you want to replace it with?’ – aka a review of The Democracy Project by David Graeber
LowImpact.org
