Musical metaphors abound in political theory and music often accompanies political movements, yet music is seldom regarded as political communication. In this groundbreaking book, Nancy S. Love explores how music functions as metaphor and model for democracy in the work of political theorists and activist musicians. She examines deliberative democratic theorists Jurgen Habermas and John Rawls who employ musical metaphors to express the sense of justice that animates their discourse ideals. These metaphors also invoke embodied voices that enter their public discourse only in translation, as rational arguments for legal rights. Love posits that the music of activists from the feminist and civil rights movements Holly Near and Bernice Johnson Reagon engages deeper, more fluid energies of civil society by modeling a democratic conversation toward which deliberative democrats metaphors merely suggest. To omit movement music from politics is, Love argues, to refuse the challenges it poses to modern, rational, secular, Western democracy. In conclusion, Musical Democracy proposes that a more radical and more musical democracy would embrace the spirit of humanity which moves a politics dedicated to the pursuit of justice."

According to the author, political ideologies are the value-laden, conflict-ridden philosophical substance of modern politics. Ideologies perform an important political function: they bridge the gap between theory an practice. Their role as the "translators" of ideas into action is what has prompted this study. This work is intended to be used with its companion volume, the second edition of "Dogmas and Dreams: A Reader in Modern Political Ideologies". The author places the study of ideologies in historical and analytic context, and aims to guide students toward a deeper understanding of modern politics, a better informed choice among political values and a more democratic approach to political theory. The analysis covers liberalism and democracy, conservativism, socialism, anarchism, fascism, feminism and ecology and ideology. Wherever possible, the text illustrates the effects of theoretical ideas with examples from practical politics. These include discussions of Lani Guinier on proportional representation, Charles Murray on affirmative action, Vaclav Havel on post-totalitarian politics, Murray Bookchin on sustainable communities and Audre Laude on multicultural feminism.

Product Description: Ideologies legitimize politics, outline basic values, socialize individuals, facilitate communication, and mobilize people - in short, their study makes for a great entry into the study of political theory and the discipline of political science...read more

An excellent window on Marx's and Nietzsche's overall theories and on the foibles of modern society. Her analysis of their views on the nature of man and their consequent theories of history is competent and probes deeply into the teachings of Marx and Nietzsche.

Product Description: A companion to Understanding Dogmas and Dreams: A Text, this work introduces the reader to the history and evolution of the main categories of political ideology including socialism, fascism, anarchism, conservativism, liberalism and democracy...read more