Sovereignty in Democracy: Ideas and Challenges (On Popular Sovereignty)

When we say "sovereignty rests with the people," what are we actually talking about?
Hong Kong stands at a historical juncture, how should we think about the pursuit of sovereignty?
To sort out the relevant theoretical reconstruction of the history of European thought and analyze the important challenges facing the contemporary era,
Rethink "sovereignty lies in the people" and seek the possibility of liberating political imagination.

The democratic concept of "sovereignty lies with the people" has a long history, and one of the core ideas in the anti-extradition wave in Hong Kong is "sovereignty lies with the people." What sets this wave apart from previous democratic movements is that the resistance camp is beginning to reimagine political sovereignty—but when we say “sovereignty,” what do we really mean? Who is the "people" referring to?

Li Yusen, a doctoral student in the Department of Politics at The New School for Social Research in New York, aimed at the idea of ​​sovereignty in the theory of democracy, using two philosophers from ancient times and modern times—French philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau and German jurist Carl Schmitt’s theory of sovereignty is the main axis, analyzing their opinions; at the same time, it focuses on two dimensions of debate that are extremely important in contemporary times and are directly related to the theory of sovereignty—class interests and people’s racism. Through dialogues between the past and the present, and the two dimensions, I hope to reconsider the following questions.

‧What is the difference between sovereignty and government?
‧What is the relationship between the sovereignty of the people and the political value of freedom and equality?
‧What is the relationship between sovereignty by the people and democratic system and representation?
‧Why do the people have sovereignty?
‧Does sovereignty in the people mean that the people as a whole have common interests and goals?
‧Is sovereignty in the people equal to nationalism?

The democratic process has never had a static blueprint, and "sovereignty rests with the people" should also be an open question full of unknowns and possibilities. By sorting out history and criticizing some traditional presuppositions or imaginations of sovereignty in the people, perhaps we will gain more possibilities for political conception.

"This is quite an ambitious research project, and it is also a new attempt at writing political philosophy in Hong Kong."
——Zhou Baosong, Associate Professor, Department of Politics and Administration, The Chinese University of Hong Kong

"This book can be said to be a milestone in the history of political thought in Hong Kong."
—— Law Wing-sang Visiting Associate Professor, Department of Cultural Studies, Lingnan University