Struggling for recognition : the psychological impetus for democratic change / by Doron Shultziner.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Shultziner, Doron, 1975- author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Democracy--Psychological aspects.

Democracy.

Democratization--Psychological aspects.

Democratization.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (229 p.)

Place of Publication:

New York : Continuum, 2010.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

"Struggling for Recognition posits that the drive for personal recognition is a prime motivation behind the pursuit of democracy. The book presents an alternative to the theories of social and political changes that fail to test the causal assumption they make about human psychology. The theory presented underscores a fundamental aspect of human nature: the pursuit of recognition, that is, the drive for positive self-esteem and status and the aversion of negative self-esteem and subordination. This pursuit of recognition becomes the impetus for action and is used to overcome fear as well as rational costs and benefits calculations involved in collective action. The book examines the mechanisms by which this disposition is triggered and converted into political pressures that eventually lead to democratic reforms. Struggling for Recognition will be of interest to a wide range of scholars in political science, including those researching social movements, social change, democracy, and democratic transitions. A unique multidisciplinary work, it will foster better understanding of key political events such as democratic transitions."--Bloomsbury Publishing.

Contents:

List of Illustrations

Preface and Acknowledgments

Introduction

1. Theories of Democratic Progress and Conceptions of Human Nature

2. Human Nature and the Pursuit of Recognition

3. From Pre-History to the End of History: Democratic Systems in the Human Experience

4. Recognition and Humiliation: The Origins of Mass Mobilization in the Montgomery Bus Boycott

5. Keeping Momentum: Leadership, Psychology, and Tactics

6. Prevention of Status and Police Brutality: The Origins of Mass Mobilization against Apartheid

7. Maintaining Commitment: Leadership, Cultural Change, and Music

8. Recognition Striving and Democratic Progress: An Integrative Approach

9. The Complexity of Democratic Progress and Levels of Analysis

Conclusion

Appendix A. List of Archives for the Montgomery Bus Boycott

Appendix B. List of abbreviations, interviews and background information about former anti-apartheid activists in the Port Elizabeth municipal area, South Africa

Bibliography

Index.

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9786613004338

9781501301698

1501301691

9781283004336

128300433X

9781441112415

1441112413

OCLC:

701719411