Why?

Halla Muhammed Maarouf was the first person to ask me about the meaning of the word democracy. Halla styled herself from posters of Brittany Spears. She turned to prostitution to support her kids in 2003 after her husband died in the Iraq war. I answered her by mentioning ideas from the bill of rights. But since then, the question has haunted me. To many people I have met across the globe, democracy is intertwined with capitalism and money. To others, it means the ability to vote or freedom of speech.

After covering failed and fledgling democracies in the Middle East, Asia and Africa, I am intrigued by the definition of democracy in my home country. I see a disconnect between US citizens, the government and how people use this often- misunderstood word.

I returned home to produce “Our Democracy,” a long-term ethnographic study of democracy in the United States— a multimedia piece providing an intimate window into how the country’s citizens see democracy and the role of government in their lives— visual record that documents the state of democracy at this moment in US history.

Reconciling thoughts between political theorists and what people believe has been a challenge. Taking advantage of my time at Harvard for the Nieman Fellowship, I brought this question to many of the most dedicated minds on this topic. I invited professors from Harvard and activists from Boston to my tiny Cambridge apartment for “Democracy dinners” where intense conversations on democracy unfolded.  

There were disagreements and allegiances. Professors and authors who had never before met contributed their expertise and experiences to help find an answer to what democracy means today, and suggesting questions for the people I will meet while on the road for this project. We discussed where I should go, what metrics to use and what questions to ask.

The “Our Democracy” project began.

It started immediately after the U.S. Presidential elections in 2016, and will move to a different community each month, living with members of the community and using visual and audio storytelling to explore experiences and thoughts on contemporary democracy in the United States.

You can read more about the democracy dinners at Nieman Reports, here. 

—Andrea Bruce