Book reviews
The Long Read: How the Polls and the Media Delivered Cameron’s Unexpected Victory by Ron Johnston
The Long Read: How the Polls and the Media Delivered Cameron’s Unexpected Victory As reports into why Labour lost the 2015 British general election and why the opinion polls got the result so wrong emerge, two recently published books present very different academic analyses of the run-up to that contest and its outcome. Ron Johnston […]
Book Review: European Integration and the Problem of the State: A Critique of the Bordering of Europe by Stefan Borg
What is the precise nature of the European Union? In European Integration and the Problem of the State: A Critique of the Bordering of Europe, Stefan Borg seeks to tackle this fundamental ontological question. Rather than position the EU as a unique form of political community, Borg argues that its practices of justification, legitimation and identification […]
Book Review: Notes Toward a Performative Theory of Assembly by Judith Butler
In Notes Toward a Performative Theory of Assembly, Judith Butler draws upon her influential theorisations of performativity and precarity to examine the politics of public assembly, discussing such themes as the crucial bodily component to acting in concert as well as the role of media. This accessible account is highly relevant to contemporary movements such as Black […]
Book Review: Postcapitalism: A Guide to Our Future by Paul Mason
In Postcapitalism: A Guide to Our Future, Paul Mason outlines the emergence of a new economic paradigm – postcapitalism – partly instigated by rapid developments in information technologies. For Mason, technological innovation fosters myriad changes that can challenge the traditional categories of classical economics to instead offer the possibility of forging a more socially just […]
Book Review: Contentious Politics by Charles Tilly and Sidney Tarrow
In the second edition of Contentious Politics, Charles Tilly and Sidney Tarrow explore various forms of political contention through a number of case studies including those on the Occupy movement, revolutions in the Middle East and the campaign for free and fair elections in Hong Kong. Sophie Long praises this volume for the utility of its conceptual framework, which underscores […]
Book Review: Taking Power Back: Putting People in Charge of Politics by Simon Parker
In Taking Power Back: Putting People in Charge of Politics, Simon Parker argues for urgent reform of the UK’s centralised democracy. Tony Travers welcomes this book as a well-researched account that both outlines the historical decline of local government in the UK and proposes innovations through which citizens can gain more direct control over their […]
Book Review: Radicals, Revolutionaries and Terrorists by Colin J. Beck
In Radicals, Revolutionaries and Terrorists, Colin J. Beck seeks to provide new conceptual tools through which to consider the potential overlap between notions of radicalism, revolution and terrorism. While elements of Beck’s argument are suggestive and promising, the book’s insights are often constrained by its overarching theory-driven methodology, writes Audrey Borowski. Similar PostsWhy is it taking so […]
Book Review: Class by Will Atkinson
In the short volume ‘Class’, Will Atkinson offers a concise yet thorough engagement with different theoretical conceptualisations of class by key thinkers before discussing its concrete, practical applications. Despite the book’s succinctness and particular focus on Pierre Bourdieu above other theorists, Chris McLachlan praises its precise and comprehensive traversal of various aspects of class analysis […]
Book Review: Britain Votes 2015 edited by Andrew Geddes and Jonathan Tonge
In the edited collection Britain Votes 2015, editors Andrew Geddes and Jonathan Tonge present essays analysing the main issues and outcomes of the 2015 UK General Election. Offering a concise and well-rounded account of an election often promoted in the media as one of the most unpredictable of recent times, this book is recommended reading for […]
Book Review: The Media and Public Life: A History by John Nerone
In The Media and Public Life: A History, John Nerone details the emergence of journalism as a practice grounded in the representation of public opinion, positing a number of key transformative moments in its evolution. Exploring the tensions between the ideal of the journalist as a public intellectual and the realities that jeopardise this role, Nerone presents […]
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