Political Activists in America

The Identity Construction Model of Political Participation

Häftad, Engelska, 2009

AvNathan Teske,Nathan (El Programa Hispano-Catholic Charaties) Teske

649 kr

Beställningsvara. Skickas inom 5-8 vardagar. Fri frakt för medlemmar vid köp för minst 249 kr.

Through vivid portrayals of political activists, Political Activists in America offers a fresh analysis of why people become involved in politics. Based on interviews with environmental, social justice, and pro-life activists, the book argues, contrary to both popular opinion and the main approaches of political science, that active involvement in politics can be deeply fulfilling to the individual. The identity construction approach is the core of the book's argument and shows how activists value political involvement for themselves. The book argues against approaches that see politics as an inherently costly or unpleasant activity. In contrast, the identity construction approach sees political activism as enabling activists to become people whom they would otherwise have been unable to become. The construction of identity for all activists is both about morality and about what one wants for oneself, and hence it illustrates shortcomings in approaches that divide motivations into either the "self-interested" or the "altruistic."

Produktinformation

Utgivningsdatum2009-01-16
Mått152 x 229 x 13 mm
Vikt340 g
FormatHäftad
SpråkEngelska
Antal sidor190
FörlagPennsylvania State University Press
ISBN9780271035468

Tillhör följande kategorier

Politisk aktivism inom Samhalle och politik
Antropologi inom Samhalle och politik

ContentsAcknowledgmentsPart I: Activism in Political SciencePortrait of an ActivistTwo Scholarly Portraits of ActivistsPolitics as Displacement: The Psychological Needs ApproachPolitics as Value Maximization: Instrumental-to-Self ApproachesConclusion: Activism, Morality, and PoliticsPart II: Involvement StoriesIntroductionInvolvement StoriesThree Themes in Involvement StoriesConclusion: Involvement Stories as Moral TalesPart III: Politics, Purposes, and the Incentive Theory of GroupsThe Troubled Concept of Purposive Incentives (Revisited)Lobbyists’ Moral Justifications and Purposive IncentivesConclusion: Politics and Purposive IncentivesPart IV: Identity as the Basis for ActivismIntroductionMorality as Altruism: The Antirational-Choice Approach in Contemporary Social ScienceBeyond Altruism: Suggestions from ActivistsBeyond Self-Interest Versus Altruism: Identity Construction as the Moral Basis of ActivismSelf-Interest, Altruism, and the Concept of a Moral Consideration ContentsMethodology AppendixBibliographyIndex

"What emerges is an important supplement to the results of studies of participation based on national surveys, a sensitive and nuanced portrait of the citizen as an issue activist, and a much richer understanding of the way that purposive incentives, often dismissed by students of collective action, can mix inextricably altruistic and self-regarding concerns." - Kay Lehman Schlozman, The Journal of Politics "Political Activists in America points social scientists toward an important research agenda that has somehow slipped through the cracks between political theory, political psychology, and political behavior. Teske's sensitive and sensible account of political activism effectively urges our discipline to reintegrate thinking about morality and political reasoning with political behavior." - David S. Meyer, Social Science Quarterly"