Description
Palgrave Changing Parties An Anthropology Of British Political Conferences 2006 Edition by F. Faucher-King
Party conferences are central to the life of political parties. They contribute to setting policy agendas developing policy options legitimizing policy choices building party cohesion motivating activists and publicizing party activities to the wider public. An analysis of their evolution in Britain helps us understand the ways in which political parties change. This book combines anthropological methods with political science to analyze changing power relationships party organizations and political culture in British political parties: Labour Conservative Liberal Democrats The Greens. Table of contents : An Anthropological Approach to 'Conventional Politics' Why do People Attend Conferences? Imagined Communities Constructing Leadership and Authority Setting the Agenda Making the News The Public Performance The Discourse of 'Deliberative Democracy' Direct Democracy: The Vote as Fetish Fringe Benefits: Dissent vs Commercialisation Conclusion: Politics in the Age of the Individual Appendix Bibliography