Governing subjects : an introduction to the study of politics / Isaac D. Balbus.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Balbus, Isaac D.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Political science.

Physical Description:

xvi, 286 pages ; 23 cm

Place of Publication:

New York : Routledge, 2010.

Summary:

This introduction to the study of politics highlights the ideas of key thinkers to illustrate how our whole lives are politically conditioned and subject to governance. Looking across every major component of the discipline-at law and institutions, markets and power, and culture and identity-this book encourages students to engage in critical thinking by evaluating arguments for their internal coherence and explanatory power. In addition, it helps them learn to think holistically as it demonstrates that none of these domains can be adequately understood without analyzing the other two. Indeed, the better we understand the connections between these three major areas of politics and governance, the better we understand politics as a whole.

Contents:

Part I Law and Institutions 1

1 Law and the Rule of Law 3

2 The Separation of Powers 10

3 Judicial Review 19

4 Conceptions of Democracy: “Thick” versus “Thin” 26

5 The Concept (and Reality?) of Representation 33

6 Political Parties 40

7 Elections 47

8 Civil Society 54

Part II Markets and Power 61

Introduction 63

9 Human Nature and the Market 69

10 Freedom and the Market 76

11 Justice and the Market 84

12 Democracy and the Market I: Corporations and the State 91

13 Democracy and the Market II: Corporate Governance 98

14 Democracy and the Market III: Globalization and Governance 105

15 The Concept of Power I: The Three Faces of “Negative” Power 111

16 The Concept of Power II: Normalization versus Communication 118

Part III Culture and Identity 125

Introduction 127

17 What is (a) Culture? 131

18 Beyond Ethnocentrism and Relativism? 137

19 Modernity 142

20 Modernity and Identity 148

21 Gender Identity 155

22 Racial Identity 162

23 National Identity 168

24 Religious Identity 174

Part IV Conclusion 183

Introduction 185

25 The Subject 192

26 The Subject in the Group 202

27 Identity Politics Revisited 211

28 The Subject in Nature 217.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9780415998895

0415998891

9780415998901

0415998905

9780203881446

0203881443

OCLC:

368023582