Edinburgh University Press | Amazon

June 30, 2025 – This book investigates how Arendt’s disillusionment with the limits of political participation should influence our responses to contemporary crises of democracy. It draws on Arendt’s embracement of freedom, plurality, critique, agonistic exchanges, natality, equality and the virtuosity of citizen-statesmen to consider how she might help us to reinvigorate democracy at a time of eroded trust in political institutions. The book suggests that Arendt’s experience in Europe, her increasing anxieties about the trajectory of American democracy, and her consistent preferences for opinion and innovation are a rejoinder to politics-as-usual in the present.

Jana Mader, Bard College: “Kaufman reinvigorates Arendt’s thought to offer a bold reimagining of democracy for our age. Through insightful critique and passionate scholarship, this work challenges readers to embrace citizenship anew, pushing beyond disillusionment to realize Arendt’s enduring vision of freedom and collective responsibility in a fractured political landscape. Essential for our times!”