A democratic ethos

Abstract

This chapter presents an overview of the work of radical geographers who identify, explore and privilege the efforts of people who seek a more just, fair world, who engage and perform a politics of dissent and contestation. It discusses that the vibrant, contestatory sphere that radical democrats argue for, while important, is insufficient to shift the epistemological and ontological hegemonies at work. V. Lawson argues for a critical ethic of care and responsibility where care is not private. Rather it “begins with a social ontology of connection: foregrounding social relationships”. In early work on a feminist ethic of care, J. C. Tronto argues for thinking through such an ethic as the foundation for political judgments. A democratic ethos is already evident in much radical geography, one that is decolonising, keenly sensitive to structural injustices, and situated in a care-full politics for a liveable life. An ethos is always guided by ethico-political principles that are shared.