Self-Presentation and Representative Politics

Essays in Context, 1960-2020

By (author) Derek Robbins

Publication date:

11 January 2022

Publisher

Anthem Press

Dimensions:

229x153mm
6x9"

ISBN-13: 9781785279003

Through six articles written at intervals of about a decade between 1960 and 2020, the book provides an account of the author’s developing political awareness during the period in the context of political events and changes. In this way the book illustrates the social origins of political attitudes, while, at the same time, the articles raise questions about the increasing dominance of political discourse in society. The book suggests that politics is now excessively managed by political professionals and that the challenge for reviving democratic participation is to restore the social dimension of state membership.

Sources; Notes on Text; Acknowledgements; Introduction; 1. Mr. Benn or Lord Stansgate? An Investigation of the Bristol South-East By-Election, May 4, 1961, and Its Consequences [1962], A. The Background, B. The Text; 2. 1795: The Political Lectures [1972], A. The Background, B. The Text; 3. Reflections on Citizenship and Nationhood from Brubaker’s Account on France and Germany [1993], A. The Background, B. The Text; 4. Burke and Bristol Revisited [1999], A. The Background, B. The Text; 5. From Solidarity to Social Inclusion: The Political Transformations of Durkheimianism [2008], A. The Background, B. The Text; 6. Bourdieu and the Field of Politics [2018], A. The Background, B. The Text; Postscript; References; Index.

‘Self-Presentation and Representative Politics sketches out a tantalising and ambitious rethinking of the current state of politics which links the papers and is an extremely valuable contribution in its own right. The book promises to be a valuable addition to the literature and might indeed reach beyond a merely academic readership.’— William Outhwaite, Emeritus Professor, Newcastle University, UK