Before beginning, a short word of thanks to the handful of individuals whose kindness and encouragement made this work possible. First, I am indebted to Roland Bleiker, a mentor and friend in the truest sense. Second, to the small group of scholars and friends who urged me to go on when all I wanted to do is stop. Here, I’d particularly like to thank Seb Kaempf, Emma Hutchison, Luke Glanville, Katrina Lee-Koo, Michael Ure, Robin Cameron, Tim Aistrope, Heloise Weber, Richard Devetak, and of course Leah Aylward. The names of these individuals may be absent from the pages that follow. But their influence is not.
This book has now gone through more drafts than I can remember. But imperfect as it remains in content and in form, a fault that is mine alone, it is what it is today only because individuals like Stephen Chan, Costas Constantinou, Kim Huynh, and a select anonymous few took the time to give what they could to help me see what I had not seen. I will always be in your debt.
I’d also like to take this opportunity to acknowledge Marie-Claire Antoine, my editor at Continuum, who gladly took this project on; the School of Political Science and International Studies at the University of Queensland and the School of Social and Political Sciences at the University of Melbourne where this project first began and is now drawing to an end; and the McKenzie Postdoctoral Fellowship scheme at the University of Melbourne which gave me the time and space to complete this project.
Finally, none of this could have been possible without my family, who continue to support my study and forgive my long absences away from home, even during the difficult times. The past few years have seen some change in our family. I moved away from Canberra. My Grandma passed away. My Dad single-handedly rebuilt our house (with the help of some lovely but truly dodgy builders), which is now gigantic, before retiring after more than 40 years of work. And then my Mum was diagnosed with cancer. Since then, my Dad and my Sister, who is a credit to our entire family, have sacrificed so much to give her the best care possible. But the best care possible is not always enough in these circumstances, and not a day goes by that they don‘t fear for the worst. Still, today at least, we’re all hopeful for the best. And finally, to Bec, thanks for continuing to go on pho dates with me!
Earlier versions of several chapters within this book were first published elsewhere in other forms and formats: Mark Chou and Roland Bleiker, “The Symbiosis of Democracy and Tragedy: Lost Lessons from Ancient Greece,” Millennium: Journal of International Studies (Vol. 37, No. 3, 2009): 659–682; Mark Chou, “Democracy in an Age of Tragedy: Democracy, Tragedy and Paradox,” Critical Horizons: A Journal of Philosophy and Social Theory (Vol. 11, No. 2, 2010): 289–313; Mark Chou, “Postmodern Dramaturgy, Premodern Drama: The Global Resurgence of Greek Tragedy Today,” Journal for Cultural Research (Vol. 15, No. 2, 2011): 131–152. I thank each publisher for giving me permission to include the content within this book.