Tuesday, 24 June 2014- Neo Musangi

Morning Session: Democratic Representation and Accountability (Prof. Phil Jones)

Prof. Phil Jones (pictured) from the Department of Political Studies at the University of Delaware took us through a talk on “Democratic Representation and Accountability” on Tuesday morning. Jones guided the group through the concepts of accountability and representation and expounded on how these might play in different countries. The notion of democracy, Jones told us, began in the early states (ancient democracies) particularly in Ancient Greece where the etymology of the word ‘Demokratia’ could be traced: demos, “the people” and -kratia, “power/rule.” According to Jones within this mode of organizing societies, people would meet in public halls and hold discussions about pertinent issues of the day. Although Greece talked a lot about “the people,” as Jones pointed out, a lot of people in Athens were not allowed to take part in these meetings as the criterion for admission was largely based on gender, class, and generations of Greek descent, among others. Decisions were therefore largely made by wealthy men of a particular Greek ancestry who had a lot of time to debate. It is important to note that these men were not politicians but were considered citizens and final decisions would only be arrived at through consensus. Most importantly although the Greeks came up with the concept of “democracy,” Jones in response to a question from the audience highlighted that this did not mean that they were the first and only society/nation to exercise democratic practices and participation.

Moving away from the Greeks, Jones went on to speak about current democracies. In present forms of democracy, Jones explained, there are two groups of people: the politicians and citizens. We elect people to go make decisions for us. In this scenario therefore, ideas of representation and accountability only come up when we allow people to make decisions for us. We do not have a democracy where we all come together to make decisions, we elect people and then in the next election we hold them accountable for the decisions they have made. However, as Jones pointed out, one of the flaws of the current system is that people often assume that if politicians are held accountable it automatically results in good representation. The logic behind this linkage is that if politicians want to be re-elected they will do what the people want. It is about keeping jobs; staying in office. This assumption stems from the idea that if citizens hold politicians accountable for what they want, politicians are more likely to do what the citizens want. But then here are the questions:

1. What do representatives represent?
2. What do voters hold representatives accountable for?
3. How can that accountability be enhanced?

Afternoon Session: LGBT Rights in the USA (Prof. Claire Rasmussen)

In the afternoon session, Prof. Claire Rasmussen (pictured), took the group through a history of LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender) activism in the U.S. Rasmussen began, like Jones, by asking the group what they knew about U.S LGBTI Rights and/or what they would like to know. This session was really an eye opener to many not only in terms of U.S LGBTI movement but also in terms of the LGBTIQ struggle in general. The linkages that Rasmussen made between the Civil Rights movement, the Women’s Liberation and the Gay Rights Movement were particularly important in establishing the many ways through which specific groups throughout U.S History have highlighted the interconnectedness in (and of) oppression.

Generally, Tuesday was great! The struggle continues.