AIMS AND OBJECTIVES:

To provide a grounding in the study of political ideologies, namely the thought which has been central to modern political debate, and to show the importance of ideas to the study of politics. By the end of the unit students should be able to demonstrate i) an understanding of the notion of ideology, and of the key political ideologies discussed, and ii) an ability to engage with and analyse the main debates and arguments discussed in the course. The lectures will focus on the main ideologies that have helped shape the modern world, together with more methodological debates surrounding the study of ideology.

LECTURES:

Running Order and lecturers: (All lectures are on TUESDAYS, 9.15-11.15, in 4E.3.38).

Week 1 (February 5): Introduction to Ideology (BN)

Week 2 (February 12): Classical Liberalism: Locke to Mill (MG)

Week 3 (February 19): Liberalism in the Twentieth Century (MG)

Week 4 (February 26): Nationalism (RE)

Week 5 (March 5): Socialism and Social Democracy (RE)

Week 6 (March 12): Marxism (BN)

Week 7 (March 19): Feminism (RR)

EASTER

Week 8 (April 23): Conservatism (BN)

Week 9 (April 30): Ecologism (IB)

Week 10 (May 7): End of Ideology? (IB)

Week 11 (May 14): Populist politics: post-Ideology? (IB)

SEMINARS:

All students taking the unit should take four seminars, to be held fortnightly in Weeks 4&5 (Seminar 1), Weeks 6&7 (Seminar 2), Weeks 8&9 (Seminar 3) and Weeks 10&11 (Seminar 4). Seminar times and rooms: Mondays, 4.15, 8W.2.28; Tuesdays, 5.15, 4W.4.13; Thursdays, 2.15 IE.3.6; Thursdays, 3.15, 4W.4.11). Students should sign up for one time: students will be divided between seminars meeting in Weeks 4, 6, 8 & 10, and seminars meeting Weeks 5, 7, 9 & 11. The first seminar groups meet in the weeks of February 25 and March 4. All seminars will be taken by Zora Popova.

Seminars will offer a slightly different approach to the lectures. The topics and the key issues in lectures will be considered in the context of the 20^th century. This historical perspective aims at outlining the important role of the ideologies for the historical developments during the century.

Students are expected to prepare for the seminars by reading the texts proposed since the discussions will strive towards approaching critically the literature by comparing different opinions. Seminars will also give the student the possibility to discuss issues of their interest relevant to the course.

The four seminars will focus on the following topics:

Seminar 1 will focus on clarifying the concept. Examining ideologies through their key-elements aims at providing the students with general model for approaching, evaluating and comparing ideologies.

Core Reading:

• Eatwell, R., ‘Introduction: What are Political Ideologies?’, in Roger Eatwell and Anthony Wright, 1999, Contemporary Political Ideologies, London: Pinter.
• MacKenzie, I., ‘Introduction: the arena of ideology’, in Robert Eccleshall et al, 1994, Political Ideologies, An Introduction, London, Routledge.

• Heywood, A., 1992, Political Ideologies, An Introduction, London: Macmillan, chapter 1

Seminar 2 will focus on the role that the ideologies played in the world politics of the 20^th century by comparing the two opposing models of the frozen stability of the bipolar Cold-War world.

• R. Bellamy, ‘Liberalism’, in Eatwell/Wright (1999);

(more on liberalism: R. Eccleshall (Chapter 2), in Eccleshall et al (1994).

M. Festenstein, ‘Contemporary Liberalism’, in A. Dent (1998))

• Arendt, Hannah,1986, The origins of totalitarianism, Baltimore, Md.; London : Johns Hopkins University Press (chapter – to be announced)

• Linz, Juan and Alfred Stepan, 1996, Problems of democratic transition and consolidation: Southern Europe, South America, and post-communist Europe, Baltimore, London: Johns Hopkins University Press (chapter – to be announced)

Seminar 3 will examine the ideologies that shaped the world after the end of the Cold War and the collapse of communism.

• R. Griffin, ‘Nationalism’, in Eatwell/Wright (1999)

Seminar 4 will focus on the debate of the end of ideology as well as on the preparation for the final exam.

• D. Bell, ‘The End of Ideology Revisited’ (two articles), Government and Opposition, (Journal) 23, 1988. (attempt to defend his 1960 view).
• Fukuyama, The End of History and the Last Man, 1992.

• D. Bell, The End of Ideology, 1960. (See especially the ‘Afterword’ in the 1988 edition).
• D. Bell, The Cultural Contradictions of Capitalism, 1978. (Second thoughts about the viability of the liberal democratic-capitalist ethic?)

ASSESSMENT:

Assessment for the course will comprise an essay, from the list supplied, and a two-hour exam at the end of the unit. Both of these assessments make up 50% of the overall assessment for the unit. The essay should be 2,500 words, give or take 10%, and should be submitted to the ESML Departmental Office (1WN. 2.19) by 5.0pm on Thursday May 16. Essay questions are given below, with appropriate reading. Please consult the relevant lecturer for advice on reading. Further essay advice will be supplied in Week 1 (and is also available in student guidebooks), but these are some general suggestions:

1. Provide proper references, and in addition a bibliography with full details of work consulted, including publishers and place of publication for books. See the Library handout, 'A Guide to Citing References', on referencing style.
2. Structure your essay around what you see as key arguments and debates, making supporting reference to your sources.
3. Where this is possible explore and examine some primary works of political thought, as well as surveys and summaries in text books, and critical discussions in journal articles.
4. Examine key arguments or debates in sufficient depth, in your own words, adding quotations where relevant.
5. Introduce your approach to the question in your opening paragraphs, and offer conclusions, drawing on your previous work, at the end.
6. Remember that the essay is a literary form, and that you need to communicate your work, your social science, as clearly and effectively as possible to your readers.

There are a number of rival textbooks that cover most, if not all, of the topics covered in the lectures. Students are advised to buy one of them. Probably the one that is nearest to the content of the course is Roger Eatwell and Anthony Wright, eds., Contemporary Political Ideologies (Pinter, 1999). Other relevant texts, in order of recommendation, are Robert Eccleshall et al, Political Ideologies, An Introduction (Routledge, 1994), and Andrew Haywood, Political Ideologies, An Introduction (Macmillan, 1998). Another book that is useful on a number of ideologies is Adam Lent, ed., New Political Thought: An Introduction, (Lawrence & Wishart, 1998. Note also the second edition (ordered for the library) of Ian Adams, Political Ideology Today (Manchester University Press, 2001).

1. Introduction to Ideologies

Essay Question: Discuss the problems of defining a political ideology.

Core Reading: From the texts mentioned above see R. Eatwell, ‘Introduction: What are Political Ideologies?’, in Eatwell/Wright (1999); I. MacKenzie, ‘Introduction: the arena of ideology’, in Eccleshall (1994), and chapter 1 of Heywood (1992).

Other

M. Freeden, Ideologies and Political Theory: A Conceptual Approach, (Oxford University Press, 1996).

M.B.Hamilton, ‘The Elements in the Concept of Ideology’, Political Studies, 35, 1987.

K. Mannheim, Ideology and Utopia: An introduction to the Sociology of Knowledge, 1936.

M. Seliger, Ideology and Politics, 1976.

A. Shtromas, ed., ‘The End of Isms?’, special edition of Political Studies, 43, 1993.

J.B. Thompson, Ideology and Modern Culture, 1990, esp. chapters 1 & 2.

2. Classical Liberalism
3. Liberalism in the Twentieth Century

Essay Question: The heart of liberalism is the doctrine of individual liberty. But in a highly organised society like our own, is individual liberty feasible? Discuss with reference to the relevant literature.

Core Reading:

R. Bellamy, ‘Liberalism’, in Eatwell/Wright (1999);

R. Eccleshall (Chapter 2), in Eccleshall et al (1994).

M. Festenstein, ‘Contemporary Liberalism’, in A. Dent (1998).

Other Reading:

1. Arblaster, The Rise and Decline of Western Liberalism, (Blackwell, 1984).

I.Berlin, ‘Two Concepts of Liberty’, in I. Berlin, Four Essays on Liberty, 1969

J. Gray, Liberalism, 2nd ed., (Open University Press, 1995).

J. Locke, The Second Treatise on Government (various editions). (1690)

L.T. Hobhouse, Liberalism, (Cambridge University Press, 1994). (1911).

D.J.Manning, Liberalism, 1976.

J.S.Mill, On Liberty. (various editions)

J. Rawls, A Theory of Justice, (Oxford University Press, 1971)

Essay Question: ’Nationalism is…essentially sub-human and primitive in character, a deformity which no rational or civilised person would have anything to do’ (Miller, p. 5). Discuss.

Reading:

General:

B. Goodwin, ‘Beyond Ideology: Nationalism’, in B. Goodwin, Using Political Ideas, 1997.

R. Griffin, ‘Nationalism’, in Eatwell/Wright (1999)

R.Jay, ‘Nationalism’, in Eccleshall et al (1994)

1. Vincent, Modern Political Ideologies, (Blackwell, 1995).

Other:

P. Alter, Nationalism, 1989.

B.Anderson, Immagined Communities, 1983.

M. Canovan, Nationhood and Political Theory, 1996.

M.Freeden, ‘Is Nationalism a Distinct Ideology’, Political Studies, 46, 1998.

J. Hutchinson, A.D.Smith, eds., Nationalism, (Oxford University Press,1994).

E. Kamenka, Nationalism, 1976.

E. Kedourie, Nationalism, (Hutchinson, 1966).

P.Spencer & H. Wollman, 'Good and Bad Nationalism', Journal of Political Ideologies, 3, 1998

A. Vincent, 'Liberal Nationalism: an Irresponsible Compound?', Political Studies, 45, 1997.

S.Woolf, ed., Nationalism in Europe, 1996.

Essay Question: ‘As a system, socialism is dead, as a movement it is on its last legs. All the goals it once proclaimed are out of date.’ Do you agree with Andre Gorz’s statement?

Reading:

R. Barker, Political Ideas in Modern Britain, 1997.

1. Butler, Transformative Politics, 1995.
2. Crick, Socialism, (Open University Press, 1987).
3. J. Dunn, The Politics of Socialism, 1984.

T. Fitzpatrick, ‘Democratic Socialism and Social Democracy’, in A. Dent (1998).

V. Geoghegan, ‘Socialism’, in R. Eccleshall et al (1994).

1. Giddens, The Third Way: The Renewal of Social Democracy, (Polity, 1998).

1. Giddens, The Third Way and Its Critics, (Polity, 2000).

D. Jahn and M. Henn, 'The "New" Rhetoric of New Labour', West European Politics, 2000.

G. Lichtheim, A Short History of Socialism, 1970.

D. Miller, ‘In what sense must Socialism be Communitarianism?’, Social Philosophy & Politics, 1989. (See also his chapter in E. P. Paul et al, eds., Socialism, 1989.

R. Milliband, Socialism for a Sceptical Age, 1994.

1. P. Paul et al, eds., Socialism, 1989.
2. B. Pimlott, ed., Fabian Essays in Socialist Thought, 1987.

D. Sassoon, The New European Left, 1999.

1. Wright, in A. Wright, Socialisms: Theories and Practices, (Oxford University Press, 1987), chapter 7.

1. Wright, ‘Social Democracy and Democratic Socialism’, in Eatwell/Wright (1994).

Essay Question: Can the ideology of Marxism be separated from its subsequent interpretations?

Reading:

S. Avineri, ed., The Social and Political Thought of Karl Marx, 1968.

T. Bottomore, ed., A Dictionary of Marxist Thought, 1983.

T. Bottomore & M. Rubel, eds., Selected Writings in Sociology and Social Philosophy, 1961.

J. V. Femia, ‘Marxism and Communism’, in Eatwell/Wright (1999)

J.V. Femia, ‘Gramsci: Marxism’s Saviour or False Prophet?’, Political Studies, 37, 1989.

N. Harding, Leninism, 1996.

Q. Hoare and G. Nowell Smith, Selections from the Prison Notebooks of Antonio Gramsci, 1971.

V.I.Lenin, What is to be Done?, 1902. (See the introduction by R. Service in his edited edition of 1988).

V.I. Lenin, The State and Revolution, 1917. (See the edition edited by R. Service for an introduction).

L.Kolakowski, Main Currents of Marxism, 3 volumes, 1978, see vol. II, esp. chapter XVIII on Leninism.

H. Marcuse, One Dimensional Man, 1964.

K. Marx and F. Engels, The Communist Manifesto, 1848.

D. McLellan, ed., Karl Marx, Selected Writings, Oxford University Press, 1977.

D. McLellan, Marx: the First 100 Years, 1983.

D. McLellan, Marxism: Essential Writings, 1988.

R. Mayer, ed., ‘Lenin, the Proletariat and the Legitimation of Dictatorship’, Journal of Political Ideologies, 1997.

K.R.Popper, The Open Society and Its Enemies, vol. 2, 1945.

Essay Question: Critically assess feminism as a political ideology.

V. Bryson, ‘Feminism’, in Eatwell/Wright (1999)

V. Bryson, Feminist Political Thought: An Introduction, 1992.

D. Coole, Women in Political Theory, 2^nd ed., 1993

J. Evans, Women and Political Theory, 1986.

M.Freeden, Ideologies and Political Theory, 1996, chapter 13.

M. Lloyd, ‘Feminism’, in A. Lent, ed., (1998)

J. Mitchell & A. Oakley, eds., What is feminism?, 1986

V. Randall, ‘Feminism and Political Analysis’, Political Studies (Journal), 1991.

S. Rowbotham et al, Beyond the Fragments, 1979.

N. Water, The New Feminism, 1998.

R. Wilford, ‘Feminism’, in Eccleshall et al (1994)

Essay Question: In what sense is there a contemporary ideology of conservatism that is both logically consistent and relevant?

Core Reading:

N. O’Sullivan, ‘Conservatism’, in Eatwell/Wright (1999).

R. Eccleshall, ‘Conservatism’, in R. Eccleshall et al (1994)

R. Eatwell & N. O’Sullivan, The Nature of the Right, (Pinter, 1989).

M. Freeden, Ideologies and Political Theory, Oxford University Press, 1996, Part III.

M. Friedman, Capitalism and Freedom, 1982.

J. Gray, Enlightenment’s Wake: Politics and Culture at the Close of the Modern Age, 1995, chapter 7.

J. Gray & D. Willetts, Is Conservatism Dead?, Profile Books, 1997.

M. Harris, ‘The New Right’, in A. Dent, ed., New Political Thought, 1998.

F.A.Hayek, The Road to Serfdom, (Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1944).

T. Honderich, Conservatism, 1992.

1. Jeffries, ‘British Conservatism: individualism and gender’, Journal of Political Ideologies, 1996.

R. Nichols, "’Conservatism’ and ‘the Right’ in America: ideological conflict, categories and language", Journal of Political Ideologies, 1997.

M. Oakeshott, Rationalism in Politics, 1967. (Conservative defence of pragmatism and practical knowledge over ‘rationalistic’ ideology.

D. Willets, Modern Conservatism, 1992.

Essay Question: Is there a particularly close relationship between ecologism and any of the 19^th century ideologies?

General Reading:

J. Barry, ‘Green Political Thought’, in A. Dent, ed., (1998).

1. Dobson, ‘Ecologism’, in Eatwell/Wright (1999)

A. Heywood, chapter 9, in Haywood (1998).

M. Kenny, ‘Ecologism’, in R. Eccleshall et al (1994)

Other:

1. Capra & C. Spretnak, Green Politics, 1984.

1. Dobson, Green Political Thought, (Routledge, 2000)..

M. Freeden, Ideologies and Political Theory, 1996, chapter 14.

J. Galtung, ‘The Green Movement’, International Sociology, (Journal) 1, 1, 1986.

R. Goodin, Green Political Theory, 1992.

R. Inglehardt, The Silent Revolution, 1977.

P. Lowe & W. Rudig, ‘Review Article: Political Ecology and the Social Sciences – the State of the Art’, British Journal of Political Science, 1986.

J. Poritt, Seeing Green, 1984.

Essay Question: Explore the extent and assess the implications of the de-ideologisation of politics.

Reading:

D. Bell, The End of Ideology, On the Exhaustion of Political Ideas in the Fifties, Free Press, 1962. (See also the ‘Afterword’ in the 1988 edition).

D. Bell, The Cultural Contradictions of Capitalism, 1978. (Second thoughts about the viability of the liberal democratic-capitalist ethic?)

D. Bell, ‘The End of Ideology Revisited’ (two articles), Government and Opposition, (Journal) 23, 1988. (attempt to defend his 1960 view).

1. Fukuyama, The End of History and the Last Man, 1992.

S.M.Lipset, Political Man, 1960 (esp. the last chapter on the end of ideology).

K. Minogue, Alien Powers: The Pure Theory of Ideology, 1985. (Sweeping anti-Marxist work).

New Left Review (journal), No 193, 1992. Extended left-wing reviews of Fukuyama’s book by F. Halliday, M. Rustin and R. Milliband.

M. Oakeshott, Rationalism in Politics, 1967. (Conservative defence of pragmatism and practical knowledge over ‘rationalistic’ ideology.

S. Thompson, ‘Postmodernism’, in A. Dent (1998) (a useful survey).

Essay Question: Is Populism a distinct ideology, or a post-ideological phenomenon?

Reading:

M. Canovan, Populism, 1981.

M. Canovan, ‘Trust the People: Populism and the two Faces of Democracy’, Political Studies, 45, 1999.

L. Goodwyn, Democratic Promise: the Populist Moment in America, 1976.

J. Haywood, ed., Elitism, Populism and European Politics, 1996.

G.Ionescu and E. Gellner, eds., Populism, 1969 (especially MacRae)

D.Katz, R. Popkin, Messianic Revolution: Radical Religious Parties to the End of the Second Millennium, Allen Lane, 1998.

T. Di Tella, ‘Populism in the Twenty-first Century’, Government and Opposition, 32, 1997.