New and Future Research
Guilt and Democracy: Abstract
My new research project focuses on the relationship between guilt and democracy. This project, which I've already begun, consists of four parts. The first part draws on Hannah Arendt to demonstrate that not only is guilt a central category of human existence but also an emotion that democratic regimes must adequately deal with. Drawing on the examples of Austrian and German National-Socialism, the second part investigates the negative consequences of newly established democracies that fail to deal with guilt. The third part asks whether inadequately dealing with guilt impedes the development of human dispositions necessary for the success of a democratic culture. The final part draws on Jacques Derrida and other thinkers to examine whether or not it is possible to break the cycle of negative consequences of failed dealings with guilt.
Future Research:
My future research aims to explain the relationship between theory and political practice, which remains a central yet under-studied relation in contemporary political theory. It also draws on Continental thought to address current issues, such as globalization and its effects.