What is Politics?

The definitive guide to politics in our polarised timesPolitics 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 polarised 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 focussed case for the insight this brings to our understanding of political practice, political behaviour and political outcomes. Amongst 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.

Colin Hay is Professor of Political Sciences at Sciences Po, Paris and founding Director of the Sheffield Political Economy Research Institute (SPERI) at the University of Sheffield. He is lead editor of the journal New Political Economy and founding co-editor of Comparative European Politics and British Politics. He is a Fellow of the UK Academy of Social Science and, until recently, President of the European University Institute's Research Council. He is the author or editor of many books including, Why We Hate Politics (Polity).