John Gaffney - Böcker

In recent years the ability of holistic social theories to account for the rights, duties, even the reality, of the individual have been called into question more and more. At the same time, interest in individualism in a whole variety of forms has been gaining ground, both as an object of study and as a methodology in itself.Individualism brings together essays by eminent social scientists from many countries. They discuss the question of individualism from a historical, methodological, hermeneutical, political, and sociological point of view and try to reconcile methodological individualism with the classical approach of sociological theory, based on collective identity.The contributors are: Bertrand Badie, Pierre Birnbaum, Raymond Boudon, Francois Chazel, Jon Elster, Ernest Gellner, Guy Hermet, Georges Lavau, Jean Leca, Alessandro Pizzorno, Adam Przeworski, and Charles Tilly.

In the French Republic political leadership is normally provided by the presidency, albeit from a very narrow constitutional base. This volume examines the strengths and weaknesses of that leadership as well as the way that executive power has been established in the republican context.

This work examines the ways in which the French left adapted, through a series of transformations, to the exigencies of presidentialism and the myths which underpin it. The role played by language in the political practice of representative democracy is emphasised. The study looks at the relationship in French political culture between language and political practice, aiming to throw new light on the role of myth in moden politics and to open up new ground in political theory concerning party politics and leadership theory. John Gaffney's previous publications include research on the inner city riots, political leadership in Britain, French political culture and political discourse.

Political Parties and the European Union offers a panoramic survey of the political parties of contemporary Europe. It covers party politics from Scandinavia to Greece, focusing on how parties in the individual member states have responded to the processes of European integration.Despite a trend towards political convergence, national traditions continue to shape politics across Europe. In order to reflect, and do justice to, the diversity of political cultures, the book combines case studies, comparative approaches and supranational perspectives. It examines the history of the main national parties, offers new comparative perspectives on communist, green and extreme right parties, and analyses party politics at the European level.

The French elections of 2002 provided an opportunity to assess the political development of the regime, and in particular developments within the complex phenomenon of French presidentialism within a party system. In this thorough analysis, John Gaffney looks at the institutional, political and electoral 'moments' of 2002, which saw both presidential and legislative elections and a major upheaval in the political life of France. Bringing together a range of scholars, the volume includes contributions from historians, political scientists, economists, cultural studies experts and media experts to offer a thorough and textured analysis of French politics.

The 1950s and 1960s were a key moment in the development of postwar France. The period was one of rapid change, derived from post-World War II economic and social modernization; yet many traditional characteristics were retained. By analyzing the eruption of the new postwar world in the context of a France that was both modern and traditional, we can see how these worlds met and interacted, and how they set the scene for the turbulent 1960s and 70s. The examination of the development of mass culture in post-war France, undertaken in this volume, offers a valuable insight into the shifts that took place. By exploring stardom from the domain of cinema and other fields, represented here by famous figures such as Brigitte Bardot, Johnny Hallyday or Jean-Luc Godard, and less conventionally treated areas of enquiry (politics [de Gaulle], literary [Françoise Sagan], and intellectual culture [Lévi-Strauss]) the reader is provided with a broad understanding of the mechanisms of popularity and success, and their cultural, social, and political roles. The picture that emerges shows that many cultural articulations remained or became identifiably "French," in spite of the American mass-culture origins of these social, economic, and cultural transformations.

The relationships between narrative and leadership,between rhetoric and performance, between doctrine and its voicing, are crucialto party politics and are underrated by both practising politicians andscholars. A political leader’s persona is aconstruction that performs – rather like an actor – in the political space.

First published in 1997, this volume examines the presidential elections, one of the central events of the democratic process in France, and arguably the main organising principle of French politics since 1962, provide an opportunity to assess the development of the regime. More significantly, they allow us to asses modifications to the office of president and to French Presidentialism which are both reflected in an affected by the electoral campaign and the elections themselves. This book provides such an assessment, with specific reference to the candidates, issues and events of the 1995 Presidential elections.

First published in 1997, this volume examines the presidential elections, one of the central events of the democratic process in France, and arguably the main organising principle of French politics since 1962, provide an opportunity to assess the development of the regime. More significantly, they allow us to asses modifications to the office of president and to French Presidentialism which are both reflected in an affected by the electoral campaign and the elections themselves. This book provides such an assessment, with specific reference to the candidates, issues and events of the 1995 Presidential elections.

Political Parties and the European Union offers a panoramic survey of the political parties of contemporary Europe. It covers party politics from Scandinavia to Greece, focusing on how parties in the individual member states have responded to the processes of European integration. Despite a trend towards political convergence, national traditions continue to shape politics across Europe. In order to reflect, and do justice to, the diversity of political cultures, the book combines case studies, comparative approaches and supranational perspectives. It examines the history of the main national parties, offers new comparative perspectives on communist, green and extreme right parties, and analyses party politics at the European level.

The French elections of 2002 provided an opportunity to assess the political development of the regime, and in particular developments within the complex phenomenon of French presidentialism within a party system. In this thorough analysis, John Gaffney looks at the institutional, political and electoral 'moments' of 2002, which saw both presidential and legislative elections and a major upheaval in the political life of France. Bringing together a range of scholars, the volume includes contributions from historians, political scientists, economists, cultural studies experts and media experts to offer a thorough and textured analysis of French politics.

This book, originally published in 1991, assesses how attitudes, political orientations and social values changed during the five decades after the Second World War. The case studies in the book focus on key ‘sites’ in political culture: in France, on the extreme right, the cinema, the impact of media personalities and changes of political discourse; in Germany, on the decline of regional identities, the emergence of specific issues and the concern of political parties with the effectiveness of language. This interdisciplinary study provides new insights into the way French and German people see themselves.

This book, originally published in 1991, assesses how attitudes, political orientations and social values changed during the five decades after the Second World War. The case studies in the book focus on key ‘sites’ in political culture: in France, on the extreme right, the cinema, the impact of media personalities and changes of political discourse; in Germany, on the decline of regional identities, the emergence of specific issues and the concern of political parties with the effectiveness of language. This interdisciplinary study provides new insights into the way French and German people see themselves.

Analyses of leadership speeches by David Owen, David Steel, Neil Kinnock and Margaret Thatcher. The author examines how the leader's conference speech reveals both the constraints upon and the possibilities for the national presentation of personalized political leadership in Britain.

The 1950s and 1960s were a key moment in the development of postwar France. The period was one of rapid change, derived from post-World War II economic and social modernization; yet many traditional characteristics were retained. By analyzing the eruption of the new postwar world in the context of a France that was both modern and traditional, we can see how these worlds met and interacted, and how they set the scene for the turbulent 1960s and 70s. The examination of the development of mass culture in post-war France, undertaken in this volume, offers a valuable insight into the shifts that took place. By exploring stardom from the domain of cinema and other fields, represented here by famous figures such as Brigitte Bardot, Johnny Hallyday or Jean-Luc Godard, and less conventionally treated areas of enquiry (politics [de Gaulle], literary [Francoise Sagan], and intellectual culture [Levi-Strauss]), the reader is provided with a broad understanding of the mechanisms of popularity and success, and their cultural, social, and political roles.The picture that emerges shows that many cultural articulations remained or became identifiably "French," in spite of the American mass-culture origins of these social, economic, and cultural transformations.

In doing so, the collection offers insights into why the performances of political actors such as Carwyn Jones and Nicola Sturgeon resonate with a wide audience, whereas some - like Jeremy Corbyn - have limited appeal beyond the party faithful.