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The Symbolic Uses of Politics Paperback – February 1, 1985
Purchase options and add-ons
- Print length232 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherUniversity of Illinois Press
- Publication dateFebruary 1, 1985
- Dimensions8.06 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
- ISBN-10025201202X
- ISBN-13978-0252012020
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- Publisher : University of Illinois Press; 2nd edition (February 1, 1985)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 232 pages
- ISBN-10 : 025201202X
- ISBN-13 : 978-0252012020
- Item Weight : 11 ounces
- Dimensions : 8.06 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #1,552,821 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #4,438 in Political Philosophy (Books)
- #6,369 in History & Theory of Politics
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Nothing new, of course - that's always the way politics has been conducted throughout the ages, ever since the Sumerians discovered that agriculture could produce enough extra wealth to support an infrastructure and thus invented both government and religion. For much of history, religion has been the main user of symbols in the interests of controlling human behavior. Edelman's contribution was to note that as religion lost some of its symbolic grip and participation in politics became more widespread and "democratic", politics was right there to pick up the slack and even expand on the power of symbols.
Religion of course continues to be a powerful force in its own right. Today, we see in many places a fusion of religion and politics that multiplies the power of symbolic action many-fold. This fusion has always been two-edged. Although politicians have felt that they were using religion, they often find it difficult or impossible to disengage from symbolic stands that religion commits them to (universal salvation, homelands, etc.) even if possibilities for reasonable political adjudication of opposing interests emerge. Although political symbolism is entirely a mental construct, it is painfully real in its effects on people and their lives.
Unless we understand that our overt politics these days is almost entirely made up of the manipulation of symbols (for which the mass media must assume a significant share of responsibility, even as they themselves are being eaten away by technology), things make no sense. And it is indeed this lack of sense that is feeding the growing cynicism and detachment from political life of moire and more citizens, to the detriment of almost everyone except the insiders, who are thus increasingly free to make their deals practically in public, trusting to the public's lack of interest to shield their machinations. If we were to have an Edelman Revival, we might be able to break through the stultifying morass that is today's political life and finally see things for what they are. And them maybe we might be able to form a consensus to fix things. Maybe.
Read this book, and tell everyone about it.
It is unfortunate Murray Edelman does not have economics training, or expertise in comparing the economic outcomes of different countries. It would have been very interesting to flesh out the consequences of the symbolic uses of politics with case studies of different issues, different interest groups, different affected groups, in different countries and historical periods. After the excellent "Introduction", the other chapters just yammer the same points on and on.
In this edition, the 1984 Afterword ends the book with a dull thud. It is lamely informed by Post-Modern relativism, so the symbolic truths of politics become the *only* truths of politics; Mr. Edelman doesn't even see that makes the whole book irrelevant because slight - that analysis turns his book into "All Uses of Politics" and his book is hardly that at 232 pages.
I am glad I purchased the book, because the first chapter in my copy is heavily marked up (sometimes in admiration of a well constructed phrase), and there are some excellent bibliographic references for further pursuit. So it would be impossible for me to give less than three stars.
As I saw it, the main thrust of the book is that people don't want tangible "Things" from the government. Instead they want "the feeling that they are getting things" from the government. starting with this premise, Edelman explains how this works out in electoral politics, policy actions, and civil rights debates. It's stunning how accurate his system is and how applicable his general rules of politics are to almost any situation. It's a great book, and a must for anyone getting into the Political Science field.



