The Age of Democracy:
The Political Thought of Alexis de Tocqueville
Lunch Seminar
In the early 1830s, Alexis de Tocqueville traveled to America with his friend Gustave de Beaumont, officially to study the penitentiary system—but, as Tocqueville later admitted, “the penitentiary system was a pretext.” His real purpose was to understand democracy in its most advanced form and to consider what its rise might mean for the future of France and Europe. The result was Democracy in America, a landmark work of political thought in which Tocqueville sought “an image of democracy itself”—its virtues, passions, prejudices, and dangers.
In this seminar, we will examine Tocqueville’s questions about the great transition from aristocracy to equality: Is democracy more just? Does equality strengthen or diminish the human spirit? Why did American democracy develop into a relatively stable constitutional order while the French Revolution descended into terror and despotism? And can democracy preserve liberty, or might equality ultimately give rise to a new form of tyranny? Through close reading and discussion, we will explore Tocqueville’s enduring reflections on the promises and perils of democratic life.
Dr. Danilo Petranovich, Director of the Abigail Adams Institute, will provide instruction and moderate discussion, with additional guest lectures by other expert scholars.
Dr. Luke Foster will provide instruction for this week’s discussion.
Luke Foster is Assistant Professor of Government at Hillsdale College in Washington, D.C. From 2022-24 he was a Postdoctoral Research Scholar at the Center for Citizenship and Constitutional Government at the University of Notre Dame, and from 2020-22 he was a Visiting Research Fellow at Sciences Po Paris. His research and teaching concern American and French political thought on aristocracy, democracy, and the role of the university in elite formation. His first book manuscript, Beyond Meritocracy: Democracy and Pursuit of Excellence in American Education, will appear next year with Notre Dame Press. His work has appeared in Modern Intellectual History, The Tocqueville Review, American Political Thought, the Political Science Reviewer, Literature, and Laws. He holds a BA in English and History from Columbia University and an MA and PhD from the University of Chicago with the Committee on Social Thought.
There is no cost to the program, and each week's readings will be provided to all participants.
Open only to current Undergraduates and graduate Students At Harvard and Other boston-area universities.
Lunch provided.
Registration required— register below. Registration capped at 25.