New Democracy: political science for the enlightened citizens


Politics do not need to be “purified.” This thought is leading us astray. Politics must be vitalized by a new method. “Representative government,” party organization, majority rule, with all their excrescences, are dead-wood. In their stead must appear the organization of non-partisan groups for the begetting, the bringing into being, of common ideas, a common purpose and a collective will.

Mary Parker Follett


The Course


The course is available in the form of video lessons embedded further down this page. It takes you through an in-depth study of The New State (1918) by the American social scientist Mary Parker Follett, and helps you understand the concepts of that book with examples from history, comparisons with other thinkers and leaders, and relevant clips from popular movies. The purpose is to equip the present-day citizens with the knowledge they need in order to play an effective role in their personal and professional lives as well as in the society.

The course was originally offered as a series of ten Zoom sessions delivered every Sunday except one from 28 May to 13 August 2023 at 230 pm to 430 pm Pakistan Standard Time. Some of the recordings from those sessions (such as those embedded further down this page) are available on our YouTube channel in edited versions.

This course is part of our syllabus of Iqbal Sciences as one of the middle level courses. Follett was a thinker whose views were completely aligned with those of Iqbal and the like-minded leaders of the Indian independent movement. It does not require any previous knowledge of political science or the social sciences. However, we recommend that you familiarize yourself with the content of our previous online courses, Online Lessons on How Jinnah Liberated India, and An Introduction to Iqbal Sciences. The medium of the course is bilingual: while most of the lectures and some of the video clips are going to be in Urdu, the core texts and many of the visual aids are in English.

Video lessons


1. Who was Mary Parker Follett?



2. How to study The New State



3. Integration and the group process



4. Synopsis of The New State



5. All-India Muslim League as group organization




Coming soon.


7. Some key concepts from The New State


Coming soon.


Other resources


In addition to the videos embedded above, the following resources form the core learning materials for the course.

The New State (1918) by Mary Parker Follett: Available in PDF for free download. Follow the link for information about how to download the book, and to read useful information and a summary of chapters.

How Jinnah Liberated India (2022) by Khurram Ali Shafique: Needs to be purchased as hard copy or Kindle. Follow the link for information about how to purchase, and for useful information and free videos of lectures on the book.

Ghariboan Ka Badshaha (1988), Pakistani Urdu movie: Can be watched for free on YouTube. Follow the link for watching it.

Also, the following resources are recommended for the purpose of reference.

Iqbal Ki Manzil (2019; Urdu) by Khurram Ali Shafique

Aazadi (2018; Urdu) by Khurram Ali Shafique

Resource persons


Course designer and leader

Khurram Ali Shafique

Consultants

Dr Bushra Hameedur Rahman

Dr Abida Ashraf

Dr Zahid Bilal

Manager

Raazia Attique

Coordinator

Nayyer Sultana

Technical support

Muhammad Umar Barkhia

Editorial support

Noor-e-Hira Adeel


8 thoughts on “New Democracy: political science for the enlightened citizens”

  1. Dr. Nabeila Akbar

    I will eagerly join this course. Being a teacher and student of political science, i want to know the real meaning and application of Democracy which is the most popular slogan of West from last one century and still is very ambiguous in its successful application.

  2. Asalam O Alikum
    Respected Sir
    I prefer if Mary Parker book can be send as a hard copy
    It be a huge favor
    Regards
    Erum Fatima

    1. Unfortunately, we cannot provide a hard copy of “The New State”. Hard copies can be ordered from Amazon (not published by us), or you can make your own prints from the PDF after downloading it from the link provided on this page.

  3. Muhammad Yaqoob

    As a student of Mass Communication, I must confess that the name Mary Parker and her book ‘The State’ are new to me. However, I am genuinely interested in delving into her insights on the state and democracy and understanding their implications in the context of the modern world. With a passion for learning and expanding my knowledge, I am eager to join this course as a paid student.

  4. Dr. Nabeila Akbar

    Being a student and researcher and teacher of Political science, the name of Mary Parker and her book ‘The State’ is new for me. I have keen interest to know about what she has said about state and democracy, its application to modern world of today. So i will join this course as paid student.

Leave a Reply to Khurram Shafique Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *