1 December 2009

'What's so good about democracy?' - The Dundee Christmas Lecture 2009

This year's lecture takes place on Saturday, December 5th, at 6 pm, in the Dalhousie Building, Old Hawkhill, University of Dundee. Places in the main theatre will be allocated on a first come, first served basis, and overflow theatres will be in operation.

'What's so good about democracy?' In the aftermath of a global recession, an expenses scandal starring our elected representatives, and the dismissal of independent scientific advisors, that’s something many people are asking.

It's also a question that Professor John Keane will be addressing when he delivers this year’s Dundee Christmas Lecture at the University of Dundee.

John Keane is Professor of Politics at the University of Westminster and at the Wissenschaftszentrum Berlin (WZB). He has been described as one of the UK’s leading political thinkers and one of Australia’s great intellectual exports.

He has published many influential books and seen his work translated into more than 25 languages.

Professor Keane's entertaining, wide-ranging and controversial public lecture will argue that virtually all of the traditional arguments for democracy no longer ring true, and that we need to think about an old ideal in new and imaginative ways.

Wars are fought to defend democracy and we pride ourselves on the superiority of our political system but, with a General Election around the corner, should we be asking fundamental questions about the nature of democracy, and why it’s a good thing?

Professor Keane explained, 'Polls show that most people in Britain firmly believe in democracy. But when asked what they mean by democracy, and why they think it’s for them, the results are full of confusions and misunderstandings.'

'Things have slipped during the past generation, certainly if we compare our times to the dark years during and immediately after World War Two. During that period, figures as different as Winston Churchill and George Orwell thought hard and deeply about democracy, and why it deserved three cheers.'

'Britain has fallen on hard times. And as we approach the most bitterly fought General Election for 30 years, with many people feeling annoyed about all the main political parties, thinking in fresh ways about what’s so good about democracy is imperative.'

Professor Keane’s latest book - The Life and Death of Democracy - is a comprehensive history of democracy that challenges widespread preconceptions about our most cherished of ideals. Since its release in June 2009, it has been widely discussed and favourably reviewed. Translations in many languages, including Chinese, Spanish, Korean and Portuguese, are on their way.

The Christmas lecture is held in conjunction with Dundee City Council and was inaugurated in 2007 to commemorate the University's 40th anniversary and its close relationship with the city of Dundee and its people.

Tickets for this lecture are available from the University Online Store, Tower Building Reception, by calling 01382 385564 or by emailing events@dundee.ac.uk.

More information about Professor Keane is available by visiting www.johnkeane.net. Further details of the book can be found at www.thelifeanddeathofdemocracy.org.

For media enquiries contact:
Grant Hill
Press Officer
University of Dundee
Nethergate, Dundee, DD1 4HN
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