Acknowledgements; Introduction: Why Council Democracy, why Now?; 1. The Historical Councils in 20th Century Europe; 2. Political Theory of Council Democracy from Bakunin to Luxemburg; 3. Institutionalising the Instituting Power? Castoriadis and the Councils; 4. Self-Limitation and Democracy: Lefort’s Model of Council Democracy; 5. Between Liberal Constitutionalism and Permanent Revolution: Arendt’s Republic of Councils; 6. The Politics of Form: Council Democracy between Transformatory Politics and Political Form; Conclusion: Council Democracy and Contemporary Movements of Occupation; Bibliography; Endnotes.