Democracy Matters

by Cornel West 

“Uncompromising and unconventional . . . Cornel West is an eloquent prophet with attitude.” — Newsweek

“A timely analysis about the current state of democratic systems in America.” — The Boston Globe

In Democracy Matters, Cornel West argues that if America is to become a better steward of democratization around the world, we must first wake up to the long history of corruption that has plagued our own democracy: racism, free market fundamentalism, aggressive militarism, and escalating authoritarianism.

This impassioned and empowering call for the revitalization of America’s democracy, by one of our most distinctive and compelling social critics, will reshape the raging national debate about America’s role in today’s troubled world.

Paperback | 240 pages | Penguin Books | 2005

Cornel West is the Dietrich Bonhoeffer Professor of Philosophy and Christian Practice at Union Theological Seminary. Formerly, he was University Professor at Harvard University and Professor Emeritus at Princeton University. He is the author of many books, including Race Matters, Brother West, Black Prophetic Fire, Keeping Faith, Prophetic Fragments, and, with bell hooks, Breaking Bread. He is running as a 2024 candidate for president of the United States in the Green Party.