New Political Theories and Ideas

PD Dr. Veith Selk is a political and social scientist. His research focuses on democratic theory, the history of political thought, populism, political ecology, and conflicts arising from sociotechnical change.

He was a visiting professor and deputy director of the Institute for Social Change and Sustainability at the Vienna University of Economics and Business. As part of the Hessian research network “Challenges of Democracy in Times of Regression,” he addressed issues in democracy research. He currently holds the Chair of Political Science at the University of Vechta (interim position).

In addition to his academic work, he is active in civic education and citizen science. He lives in Hamburg.

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Current Books

Postliberalismus?

A Transatlantic Debate

The hegemony of liberalism appears to be coming to an end. In light of intensifying geopolitical crises and the accelerating erosion of liberal democracies, alternatives to liberalism are being discussed on both sides of the Atlantic, grouped under the ambigous term of post-liberalism. The volume brings together contributions from internationally renowned scholars including Thomas Biebricher, Annelien de Dijn, Patrick J. Deneen, Anton Jäger, Philip Manow, Samuel Moyn, Jan-Werner Müller, Elif Özmen, Adrian Pabst, and Nadia Urbinati, who examine this new phenomenon. As observers, critics, or advocates of such alternatives, they ask: Can liberalism still be saved?

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Demokratiedämmerung

A Critique of Democratic Theory (October 2023)

What was once said about communism now applies to democracy — it is becoming increasingly implausible.
In his sharply analytical book, Veith Selk shows why both democratic politics and the democratic theories that accompany it are failing in the face of reality.
Two theses are pursued: The decline of democracy is not due to regression but is the result of social evolution. The resulting end of democracy also leads to the decay of democratic theory, which is becoming anachronistic as an academic discipline. (Text: Suhrkamp)

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