Essay Up from feudalism: the Black American liberal tradition October 03, 2024 What did it mean to be an enlightened “liberal” in the United States before the twentieth century? What’s race got to do with it? Read More
Essay Ungoverning: an unfamiliar name for an unfamiliar danger September 30, 2024 The idea that those entrusted with responsibility for governing a democracy would intentionally make the state less capable—degrading its ability to collect taxes, to deliver mail, to conduct diplomacy, to prosecute violations of civil rights—is almost unthinkable. We call this “ungoverning.” Read More
Reading List Books for understanding the US election August 09, 2024 Voting, both a fundamental civic duty and a hard-won right, is at the core of our democratic process. With election season upon us, delve into this list of books for understanding today’s increasingly complex election politics. Read More
Our innumerate democracy April 16, 2024 The Declaration of Independence is a mathematical document. It starts by proclaiming certain truths to be self-evident and proceeds to list them. In math, such statements are the axioms of a theory. Read More
Books for understanding how we vote March 15, 2024 2024 is a momentous year for global elections, with high-stakes, historic elections in over 50 countries. Seeking clarity on voting worldwide, and the political and social factors at play? This reading list can help. Read More
A Real Right to Vote February 21, 2024 Throughout history, too many Americans have been disenfranchised or faced needless barriers to voting. Part of the blame falls on the Constitution, which does not contain an affirmative right to vote. Read More
Video PUP Speaks: Christopher Harris on the need to reframe Black History Month February 21, 2024 This month, Christopher Harris reminds us that to celebrate Black history is to cherish everyday Black life. Read More
Making Democracy Count February 16, 2024 What’s the best way to determine what most voters want when multiple candidates are running? What’s the fairest way to allocate legislative seats to different constituencies? What’s the least distorted way to draw voting districts? Read More
Exploring Black Experiences February 01, 2024 First proposed by Black educators and the Black United Students at Kent State University in 1969, Black History Month, celebrated annually in February in the US, is an opportunity to celebrate Black voices, achievements, and to reflect on the central role of African Americans throughout US history. Princeton University Press is proud to publish books that engage with serious issues and ideas relating to Black experiences. Read More
Video PUP Speaks: Hana Schank on public interest technology January 19, 2024 PUP Speaks author Hana Schank describes how a revolutionary new approach—public interest technology—can transform the way we solve problems. Read More
Our Compelling Interests December 14, 2023 It is clear that in our society today, issues of diversity and social connectedness remain deeply unresolved and can lead to crisis and instability. The major demographic changes taking place in America make discussions about such issues all the more imperative. Read More
Winning isn’t everything, especially in democracy November 08, 2023 Trump responded to his loss in the 2020 election by being the epitome of a “sore loser”: by denying that he had lost and doubling down on baseless conspiracy theories of electoral fraud. He is not alone. There are multiple examples of sore losers in US politics today. Read More
To Build a Black Future October 10, 2023 When #BlackLivesMatter emerged in 2013, it animated the most consequential Black-led mobilization since the civil rights and Black power era. Today, the hashtag turned rallying cry is but one expression of a radical reorientation toward Black politics, protest, and political thought. Read More
Renewing the civic bargain September 27, 2023 Democracy today is in trouble: we see free governments wobbling, political tribalism everywhere, and rising authoritarianism. America, once the showcase of democracy done right now seems a system gone wrong. Read More
Listen in: The Darkened Light of Faith September 20, 2023 Listen to a sample chapter from The Darkened Light of Faith – a powerful new account of what a group of nineteenth- and twentieth-century African American activists, intellectuals, and artists can teach us about democracy. . Read More
