Manmade marvels of the later medieval courts—animated golden birds, mechanical angels, and other fantastic machines—were not merely amusing distractions, but also agents of social negotiation and political import. In Manmade Marvels, the dancing metal peacocks, animated statuary, and spectacular illusions of the romance tradition are disembedded from traditional literary representation as supernatural fictions, and situated in the political culture where mechanical marvels were fashioned to delight courts, garner prestige, and symbolize power.
We might agree or not, but that's what the author says: (1) All political power is a matter of social functions, and for that reason all political power is deontic power (2) Because all political power is a matter of status functions, all political power, though exercised from above, comes from below (3) Even though the individual is the source of all political power, by his or her ability to engage in collective intentionality; all the same, the individual, typically, feels powerless (4) The system of political status functions works at least in part because recognized deontic powers provide desire-independent reasons for action (5) It is a consequence...that there is a distinction between political power and political leadership (6) Because political powers are matters of status functions they are, in large part, linguistically constituted (7) In order for a society to have a political reality it needs several other distinguishing features:...a distinction between the public and the private sphere with the political as part of the public sphere,...the existence of nonviolent group conflicts, and...group conflicts must be over social goods within a structure of deontology (8) A monopoly on armed violence is an essential presupposition of government.
The Blackwell Companion to Political Sociology brings together thirty-eight original essays covering the wide inter-disciplinary field of political sociology.
Represents the most comprehensive overview available in the field of political sociology
Covers traditional questions as well as emerging topics including recent debates on gender, citizenship, and political identity
Includes detailed editorial introduction, abstracts, further reading lists, and a consolidated bibliography.
Napoleon and his Collaborators: The Making of a Dictatorship
Added by: Maria | Karma: 3098.81 | Non-Fiction | 16 January 2009
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This history explains how Napoleon forged a dictatorship and explores the dilemmas of collaboration, personal and political. The 18th Brumaire, November 9, 1799: with France in political and economic turmoil, a group of disaffected politicians enlisted the talented general Napoleon Bonaparte to lead a coup d'etat and establish "confidence from below, authority from above." This is the story of how Napoleon managed his ascent from general of the Republic and first consul to dictator and conqueror of Europe. Napoleon did not vault into the imperial throne but moved toward dictatorship gradually; each assertion of new power came gilded with a veneer of legality and a rhetoric of commitment to the ideals of 1789. In this fashion Napoleon not only gained the upper hand over his partners of Brumaire but also retained their loyalty and services going forward. Far from shunting aside those collaborators, he put them to use in ways that satisfied their most emphatic needs: political security, material self-interest, social status, and the opportunity for high-level public service.
The information packed volumes in the Modern World Nations series provide comprehensive overviews of each nation's people, geography, history, government, economy and culture. Abundant full-colour illustrations guide the reader on a voyage of discovery, while Maps reflect current political boundaries. Each volume is written by the most experienced professors teaching world regional geography.
