What's Wrong with Democracy?
Episode 12: The dangers of identity politics
Listen on
Episode notes
Democratic societies are a melting pot of people from different ethnic and religious backgrounds, but when political alliances are formed around a particular identity it can lead to division and sometimes violence. In this episode Ben explores one of the most extreme examples of ethnic conflict - the Rwandan genocide - and asks whether it’s possible to have a peaceful democracy after so much bloodshed.
Guests:
- Sharun Mukand, Professor of Economics at the University of Warwick
- James Chin, Professor of Asian studies at the University of Tasmania
What’s Wrong with Democracy? is produced by Tortoise Media and supported by the Open Society Foundations.
To find out more about Tortoise:
Download the Tortoise app - for a listening experience curated by our journalists.
Subscribe to Tortoise+ on Apple Podcasts for early access and ad-free content.
Become a member and get access to all of Tortoise's premium audio offerings and more.
If you want to get in touch with us directly about a story, or tell us more about the stories you want to hear about contact [email protected]
Host: Professor Ben Ansell
Producers: Ada Barume and Eleanor Biggs
Editor: Lewis Vickers
Original artwork: Jon Hill | Emma O’Neil
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.