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.
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Produktdetaljer
ISBN
9781400828975
Publisert
2013
Utgiver
Vendor
Princeton University Press
Språk
Product language
Engelsk
Format
Product format
Digital bok
Forfatter