Democracy’s Double Helix

Where does our modern democracy come from? It is a composite of two very different things: a medieval tradition of political participation, pluralistic but highly elitist; and the notion of individual equality, emerging during the early modern period. These two things first converged in the American and French revolutions - a convergence that was not only unexpected and unplanned but has remained fragile to this day. Democracy's Double Helix does not trace democracy back into history, assuming that it was bound to come about, but looks at the political practices and attitudes prevailing before its emergence. From this perspective, it becomes clear that there was little to predict the coming of democracy. It also becomes clear that the two historical trajectories that formed it obey very different logics and always remain in tension. From this historical vantage point, we can better understand the nature of our democracy and its current crisis.