The PeopleThis groundbreaking study sets out to clarify one of the most influential but least studied of all political concepts. Despite continual talk of popular sovereignty, the idea of the people has been neglected by political theorists who have been deterred by its vagueness. Margaret Canovan argues that it deserves serious analysis, and that it's many ambiguities point to unresolved political issues.
The book begins by charting the conflicting meanings of the people, especially in Anglo-American usage, and traces the concept's development from the ancient populus Romanus to the present day.
The book's main purpose is, however, to analyse the political issues signalled by the people's ambiguities. In the remaining chapters, Margaret Canovan considers their theoretical and practical aspects:
This original and accessible study sheds a fresh light on debates about popular sovereignty, and will be an important resource for students and scholars of political theory. |
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Contents
Introduction | 1 |
Identifying the People | 3 |
The Sovereign People in Action and in Myth | 6 |
The People and its Past | 10 |
The People in Action | 11 |
From Shadow to Substance | 16 |
The English People in Rebellion | 20 |
The American Revolution and its Significance | 26 |
Populism in Contemporary Liberal Democracies | 74 |
Identifying Populism | 78 |
Populism Democracy and the People | 83 |
We the Sovereign People | 91 |
Can Popular Sovereignty be Understood? | 94 |
Can Popular Sovereignty be Exercised? | 105 |
Myths of the Sovereign People | 122 |
Myths of the People | 124 |
Popular Sovereignty and Parliamentary Reform in Nineteenthcentury Britain | 33 |
Popular Government and the People | 37 |
Ourselves and Others People Nation and Humanity | 40 |
People and Nation | 41 |
Peoplebuilding | 48 |
Peoples and People | 57 |
Part and Whole People Populism and Democracy | 65 |
The Common People | 68 |
The People as a Fiction | 130 |
The People as Myth and Political Reality | 132 |
Conclusion | 139 |
Notes | 142 |
146 | |
159 | |
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Common terms and phrases
abstract ambiguities American Revolution Anglophone appear argue body boundaries Britain Burgh Canovan century citizens claim classical republican collective common conception conflict constitutional contemporary continuing corporate crucial defined deliberative deliberative democracy demo democratic politics despite direct democracy election elite England English ethnic Europe European Union exercise existence fiction find first first place foundation myth French Revolution grass roots Habermas human ical identified individuals institutions issues John Locke king legacy legitimacy legitimate liberal democracy ment Mény and Surel metaphor modern democracy monarchy Morgan mythic nationhood natural Parliament particular Party people’s government peoplehood Pim Fortuyn political community politicians popular authority popular government popular mobilization popular sovereignty populist movements populus practical principle question radical referendum reflect representatives Republic reserve Roman Republic Rousseau seems self-determination sense significance simply social solidarity sover sovereign specific story struggles theory tion tradition ultimate source universal voting whole Yack