Rodney Barker - Böcker

All governments and their supporters attempt to justify their power by the arguments and rituals of legitimacy. The claim to ultimate power authorized by principles of right, morality, or destiny is what distinguishes the state from other organizations and institutions. The study of legitimate power thus lies at the heart of political science. Rodney Barker examines the accounts that have been given of legitimacy within the principal traditions of political analysis. Drawing on recent historical examples, he argues for a more diversified understanding of the function and the character of political legitimacy. Rulers, he suggests, are often far more concerned about legitimizing their power than those whom they govern. Barker proposes the study of legitimacy as a form of political life not merely derived from other interests or purposes, but as a central characteristic of government.

The rise of the New Right and the collapse of state communism in 1989 has fundamentally changed political thinking in the late twentieth century. Rodney Barker has revised and extended his classic text - Political Ideas in Modern Britain - in the light of these changes. His accessible account of political thinking in Britain since the 1880s now includes detailed analysis of:* the demise of traditional conservatism and socialism* the rise and decline of the New Right* the growth of feminism, liberalism and pluralismPolitical Ideas in Modern Britain charts the changing intellectual landscape of political thinking, illustrating how contemporary political thought is both rooted in tradition and a radical transformation of it. Whether the future is liberal, communitarian, pluralist, or simply uncertain, this is an essential guide for students of British politics.Rodney Barker is Senior Lecturer in Government at the London School of Economics and Political Science.

The rise of the New Right and the collapse of state communism in 1989 has fundamentally changed political thinking in the late twentieth century. Rodney Barker has revised and extended his classic text - Political Ideas in Modern Britain - in the light of these changes. His accessible account of political thinking in Britain since the 1880s now includes detailed analysis of:* the demise of traditional conservatism and socialism* the rise and decline of the New Right* the growth of feminism, liberalism and pluralismPolitical Ideas in Modern Britain charts the changing intellectual landscape of political thinking, illustrating how contemporary political thought is both rooted in tradition and a radical transformation of it. Whether the future is liberal, communitarian, pluralist, or simply uncertain, this is an essential guide for students of British politics.Rodney Barker is Senior Lecturer in Government at the London School of Economics and Political Science.

Rulers of all kinds, from feudal monarchs to democratic presidents and prime ministers, justify themselves to themselves through a variety of rituals, rhetoric, and dramatisations, using everything from architecture and coinage to etiquette and portraiture. This kind of legitimation - self-legitimation - has been overlooked in an age which is concerned principally with how government can be justified in the eyes of its citizens. In this book, Rodney Barker argues that at least as much time is spent by rulers legitimating themselves in their own eyes, and cultivating their own sense of identity, as is spent in trying to convince ordinary subjects. Once this dimension of ruling is taken into account, a far fuller understanding can be gained of what rulers are doing when they rule. It can also open the way to a more complete grasp of what subjects are doing, both when they obey and when they rebel.

Rulers of all kinds, from feudal monarchs to democratic presidents and prime ministers, justify themselves to themselves through a variety of rituals, rhetoric, and dramatisations, using everything from architecture and coinage to etiquette and portraiture. This kind of legitimation - self-legitimation - has been overlooked in an age which is concerned principally with how government can be justified in the eyes of its citizens. In this book, Rodney Barker argues that at least as much time is spent by rulers legitimating themselves in their own eyes, and cultivating their own sense of identity, as is spent in trying to convince ordinary subjects. Once this dimension of ruling is taken into account, a far fuller understanding can be gained of what rulers are doing when they rule. It can also open the way to a more complete grasp of what subjects are doing, both when they obey and when they rebel.

From foreign policy to environmental protection, from gender equality to the rule of law, politics is constructed by thinking. This book reflects a growing recognition of political thinking as a dimension, perhaps the single most important dimension, of the activity of politics in the contemporary world, and in all previous worlds as well.