What is Politics? The Definitive Guide to Politics in Our Polarized Times

The definitive guide to politics in our polarized times

Politics is everywhere. It touches almost every aspect of our lives. And it is present wherever individuals face collective choices. It is hardly surprising, then, that politics so often divides us, above all in an age in which the collective choices we face seem more daunting and more consequential than they have perhaps ever been.

Exploring what it means to 'think politically' in these troubled times, this cutting-edge textbook reveals the many dimensions of politics. It does so by opening a series of analytic lenses through which we can make sense of politics and its impact upon societies and individuals. Each chapter, written by a leading scholar in the field, encourages us to view politics in a particular way, making a succinct and focused case for the insight this brings to our understanding of political practice, political behaviour, and political outcomes. Among the perspectives considered are politics as power, politics as moral choice, politics as identification, politics as ritual, politics as rhetoric, and politics as crisis management.

Written with the new student in mind, this probing introduction will be essential reading for all those who strive to make sense of politics in today's world.

About the editor

Colin Hay is Professor of Political Sciences in the Centre for European Studies and Comparative Politics and Director of Doctoral Studies in Sciences Po's School of Research. He is Affiliate Professor of Political Analysis at the University of Sheffield, UK, where he was the founding co-director of the Sheffield Political Economy Research Institute (SPERI). He is often regarded as one of the founders of the constructivist institutionalist approach to social, political and economic change.