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As right-wing nationalism and authoritarian populism gain momentum across the world, liberals, and even some conservatives, worry that democratic principles are under threat. In The Spectre of Race, Michael Hanchard argues that the current rise in xenophobia and racist rhetoric is nothing new and that exclusionary policies have always been central to democratic practices since their beginnings in classical times. Contending that democracy has never been for all people, Hanchard discusses how marginalization is reinforced in modern politics, and why these contradictions need to be fully examined if the dynamics of democracy are to be truly understood.

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"The literature on democracy is full of works that analyze how dominated groups struggle to end their marginalization and achieve full citizenship. Hanchard focuses our attention on the other side of that story. Through the lens of race, he brilliantly traces how dominant groups construct democracies more to administer and manage political inequality than to overcome it. Important and timely, this book is informed, elegant, and large in scope and impact."--Jeffrey A. Winters, Northwestern University

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Michael G. Hanchard is a professor in the Department of Africana Studies at the University of Pennsylvania. His books include Party/Politics and Orpheus and Power.

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