New perspectives in political ethnography / edited by Lauren Joseph, Matthew Mahler, Javier Auyero.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Joseph, Lauren.

Mahler, Matthew

Auyero, Javier

Class of 1953 Fund.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Political anthropology.

Political customs and rites.

Physical Description:

vii, 258 pages : illustrations ; 25 cm

Place of Publication:

New York, NY : Springer, [2007]

Summary:

The use of ethnographic research-social research based on the observation of individuals or institutions where the researcher becomes part of the group or very close to the group to better understand their actions-is increasingly becoming a prevalent methodology within sociology. As ethnography gains prominence within the discipline, its focus, theoretical underpinnings, and narrative styles are also expanding to the yet-unexamined worlds and institutions of society. Politics, political institutions, and those working in politics (state officials, politicians, and activists) have so far missed the lens of the ethnographer. As a group, politicians and those in politics can be found in every corner of the world. While political systems and politicians are by no means the same in every country, what brings these people together to be part of the political process?

Ethnography is uniquely equipped to look microscopically at the foundations of political institutions and their attendant set of practices, just as it is ideally suited to explain why political actors behave the way they do and to identify the causes, processes, and outcomes that are part and parcel of political life. New Perspectives in Political Ethnography, based on a special issue of the journal Qualitative Sociology, has a two-fold purpose: (1) to bring politics into the ethnographic literature and (2) ethnography into studies of politics. The case studies included are based on the research of ethnographers studying the various levels of politics in Brazil, Japan, El Salvador, Bosnia, the Philippines, India, and the United States. It will be of interest to those in the sociology of politics, political science and those looking for ethnographic research on a global level.

Contents:

Introduction: Politics under the ethnographic microscope / Javier Auyero, Lauren Joseph

From confusion to common sense: using political ethnography to understand social mobilization in the Brazilian northeast / Wendy Wolford

Losing face in Philippine labor confrontations: how shame may inhibit worker activism / Rosanne Rutten

Radical outcasts versus three kinds of police: constructing limits in Japanese anti-emperor protests / Patricia G. Steinhoff

Honor and morality in contemporary rural India / Pamela Price

Routing conflict: organized violence and clientelism in Rio de Janeiro / Enrique Desmond Arias

Vicious virtuous circles: barriers to institution-building after war / Tammy Smith

Are national politics local? social movement responses to the 2004 US presidential election / Kathleen M. Blee, Ashley Currier

Professional performances on a well-constructed stage: the case of an institutionalized advocacy organization / Mirella Landriscina

Field research during war: ethical dilemmas / Elisabeth Jean Wood

Politics as a vocation: notes toward a sensualist understanding of political engagement / Matthew Mahler

Afterword: Political ethnography as art and science / Charles Tilly.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Local Notes:

Acquired for the Penn Libraries with assistance from the Class of 1953 Fund.

ISBN:

9780387725932

0387725938

OCLC:

154711951