On the Side of the Angels

An Appreciation of Parties and Partisanship

Häftad, Engelska, 2010

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Political parties are the defining institutions of representative democracy and the darlings of political science. Their governing and electoral functions are among the chief concerns of the field. Yet most political theorists--including democratic theorists--ignore or disparage parties as grubby arenas of ambition, obstacles to meaningful political participation and deliberation. On the Side of the Angels is a vigorous defense of the virtues of parties and partisanship, and their worth as a subject for political theory. Nancy Rosenblum's account moves between political theory and political science, and she uses resources from both fields to outline an appreciation of parties and the moral distinctiveness of partisanship. She draws from the history of political thought and identifies the main lines of opposition to parties, as well as the rare but significant moments of appreciation. Rosenblum then sets forth her own theoretical appreciation of parties and partisanship. She discusses the achievement of parties in regulating rivalries, channeling political energies, and creating the lines of division that make pluralist politics meaningful.She defends "partisan" as a political identity over the much-vaunted status of "independent," and she considers where contemporary democracies should draw the line in banning parties. On the Side of the Angels offers an ethics of partisanship that speaks to questions of centrism, extremism, and polarization in American party politics. By rescuing parties from their status as orphans of political philosophy, Rosenblum fills a significant void in political and democratic theory.

Produktinformation

Utgivningsdatum2010-08-01
Mått152 x 229 x 37 mm
Vikt765 g
FormatHäftad
SpråkEngelska
Antal sidor600
FörlagPrinceton University Press
ISBN9780691148144

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Acknowledgments ix Introduction: An Appreciation of Parties and Partisanship 1 PART I Glorious Traditions of Antipartyism and Moments of Appreciation Chapter 1: Glorious Traditions of Antipartyism: Holism 25 Chapter 2: Glorious Traditions of Antipartyism: Fatal Divisiveness 60 Chapter 3: Moments of Appreciation 108 PART II Post-Party Depression Chapter 4: Progressive Antipartyism 165 Chapter 5: Th e Anxiety of Infl uence 210 Chapter 6: Correcting the System: Association, Participation, and Deliberation 254 PART III The Moral Distinctiveness of "Party ID" Chapter 7: Partisanship and Independence 319 Chapter 8: Centrism and Extremism and an Ethic of Partisanship 369 Chapter 9: Militant Democracy: Banning Parties 412 Conclusion: "We Partisans" 456 Notes 461 Index 577

"Incisive and deftly written... The most provocative part of On the Side of the Angels is not the discussion of parties as institutions; most people will readily grant that democracies require parties. What is more striking is Rosenblum's case for partisanship."--Paul Starr, New Republic "Rosenblum's analysis ... adds much greater rigor, clarity, and depth to [existing scholarship]... Even more, she creates a defense of partisan identification that is, at least to this reviewer, totally original."--John Aldrich, Perspectives on Politics