Suchergebnisse

When we observe protest marches, striking workers on picket lines, and insurgent movements in the world today, a litany of objects routinely fill our field of vision. Some such objects are ubiquitous the world over, like flags, banners, and placards. Others are situationally unique: Who could have anticipated the historical importance of a flower placed in the barrel of a gun, a flaming torch, a sea of umbrellas, a motorist's yellow vest, a feather headdress, an AK-47, or a knitted pink hat? This book explores the "stuff" at the heart of protests, revolutions, civil wars, and other contentious political events, with particular focus on those objects that have or acquire symbolic importance. In the context of "contentious politics" (disruptive political episodes where people try to change societies without going through institutions), certain objects can divide and unite social groups, tell stories, make declarations, spark controversy, and even trigger violent upheavals.

This book draws together scholars from a variety of fields to discuss symbolic objects in contentious politics: their meanings, uses, functions, and social responses. In bringing these phenomena together, this book offers a serious, distinctive, and cohesive theoretical contribution that draws upon diverse scholarly work in order to form the building blocks for future inquiry in the field. The aim is not merely to "close the gap" in the literature, but to create space in the field for further and more fruitful inquiry.

The most dramatic even in pressure politics in the year 2000 was the fuel protest. It vividly illustrates the tension between conventional forms of insider pressure group activity and the increasing use of various forms of direct action. Conventional insider politics is still widely used, but many established groups are facing dissent from their own membership and competition from more militant groups. The growth of direct action and the increasing effectiveness of single-issue groups raises important normative issues about the political process. The greater complexity of a multi-level system of government presents groups with both opportunities and threats. There is an uneasy and unstable balance between traditional and new forms of activity. There needs to be a wider debate about the democratic legitimacy of pressure groups. (Parliamentary Affairs / FUB)