Faith Armitage, University of Manchester, UKBairavee Balasubramaniam, University of Warwick, UKSarah Childs, University of Bristol, UKEmma CreweUniversity of Hertfordshire, UKVictoria Hasson's, the Democratic Alliance, South AfricaJoni Lovenduski, Birkbeck College, University of London, UKNirmal Puwar, Goldsmiths, London University, UKCarole Spary, University of York, UKGeorgina Waylen, University of Manchester, UK

'An imaginative and most valuable collection of high quality essays exploring the role of rituals and ceremonies in articulating the identity and shaping the popular perception of Parliament, and more generally of democracy and political life. I know no other that comes anywhere near it in its range and depth.' Bhikhu Parekh, University of Westminster, UK, and House of Lords 'This book sets an exciting new agenda for understanding the gendered nature of political institutions through taking performance, symbol, ritual and rhetoric seriously. The book is an interdisciplinary intervention that simultaneously pays attention to empirical detail and to comparative method. It is a compelling read.' Shireen Hassim, Professor of Politics, University of Witwatersrand, South Africa

• Introducing Democracy in Practice: Ceremony and Ritual in Parliament; Rachel E. Johnson and Shirin M. Rai PART I: PERFORMING REPRESENTATION 1. Representing Democracy: Ceremony and Ritual in the Indian Parliament; Shirin M. Rai 2. Westminster Parliamentarians: Performing Politics; Emma Crewe 3. Negotiating Gendered Institutions: Women's Parliamentary Friendships; Sarah Childs 4. The Emergence and Impact of First Female Speakers; Faith Armitage, Rachel E. Johnson and Carole Spary PART II: DELIBERATION AND DISRUPTION 5. Proceduralising the Plenary as a Public Sphere; Victoria Hasson 6. Prime Minister's Questions as Political Ritual; Joni Lovenduski 7. The Indian Parliament: Performing Decline Since the 1960s; Bairavee Balasubramaniam 8. Disrupting Deliberation? Comparing Repertoires of Parliamentary Representation; Carole Spary, Faith Armitage and Rachel E. Johnson PART III: SYMBOLIC SPACES 9. Space and Symbols: Transforming Parliamentary Buildings; Georgina Waylen 10. The Archi-texture of Parliament Nirmal Puwar 11. Pageantry as Politics: The Opening of Parliaments; Rachel E. Johnson, Faith Armitage and Carole Spary